Burke was one of the founding figures of 1960s soul, a preacher's-pulpit voice who moved between gospel phrasing, country balladry and hard R&B without ever sounding like he had changed lanes. Jerry Wexler, who ran his sessions at Atlantic, called him the greatest male soul singer of all time, and Burke's run of 32 Atlantic singles helped keep the label solvent through the decade. He performed crowned and caped from 1963 onward, billing himself “King Solomon” and the “King of Rock 'n' Soul.” He cut this song on 28 May 1964 and later maintained he had written it alone, from a march he remembered from childhood church offerings, before being talked into sharing the credit.