Page "Solomon Burke" Paragraph 73

From an early age Burke was " always an enterprising personality.

" In addition to his recording career, Burke ran funeral homes, owned two drugstores and a popcorn business in Philadelphia, and later had the first Mountain Dew franchise in Philadelphia.

Burke's entrepreneurial activities included cooking and selling barbecued chicken sandwiches backstage, and even demanding and operating the concessions at the Apollo Theatre when he performed there in 1966, which was very profitable for him but so enraged the owner Frank Schiffman that he was banned from performing at the Apollo Theater for life.

After playing at the reopening of The Cavern Club in Liverpool in July 1966, Burke said: “ The Cavern was a great place to play.

The groove was there, the people were there, and it was wonderful.

I remember them selling hot Pepsis.

What a mistake – you gotta put ice in those things.

Think of how many more they could have sold with ice in them.

" Burke sold fried chicken and sandwiches backstage at concerts, and well as sandwiches, soft drinks, and fried chickens at increasingly inflated prices to other performers who were refused service at restaurants on the Chitlin ' circuit in the " Jim Crow " South.

According to Sam Moore of the soul duo Sam & Dave, " He gave me one pork chop, one scoop of macaroni and cheese, and one spoonful of gravy.

I said, ‘ Is that it ?’ And he ’ d say, " That ’ s it, brother.

I ’ m doing you a favor, so take it or leave it.

" Trombonist Fred Wesley was one who was critical of Burke's business practices.