Solomon Burke (Diverse/SUNSHINE)

Michael Jackson i (AP)

Soul crooner Solomon Burke died this month at 70. A Grammy winner and favorite of everyone from the Rolling Stones to Pope John Paul II, Burke earned his nickname as “the King of Rock and Soul” — although with a reported 21 children, he might have been better called “King of Fertility.”

With so many kings and queens proclaimed in seemingly every genre of music, we decided to take a look at who deserves their titles.

Title: King of Pop
held by:MichaelJackson
claim to fame:13 No. 1 singles, 800 million albums sold, an uncontested legend
challengers:none

Title:Queen of Soul
held by:Aretha Franklin
claim to fame:Seven little letters:“R-E-S-P-E-C-T”
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hallengers:Whitney Houston(15 years ago)

Title:King of Rock ’n’ Roll
held by:Elvis Presley
claim to fame:That shocking pelvis; brought libido to white people’s music
challengers:Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry

Title:Godfather of Soul
held by:James Brown
claim to fame:Always on the good foot, he invented funk and delivered an electrifying stage show
challengers:Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield

Title:King of the Blues
held by:B.B. King
claim to fame:Did more to popularize traditional blues than any other musician — and survived
challengers:Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Robert Johnson

Title:King of Polka
held by:Jimmy Sturr
claim to fame:18 Best Polka Album Grammys led to elimination of category
challengers:Frankie Yankovic, Walter Ostanek, Brave Combo

Title:Queen of Country Music
held by:KittyWells
claim to fame:First female country star, she inspired all who followed
challengers:Loretta Lynn, Reba McEntire, Dolly Parton

Title:King of Country Music
held by:Roy Acuff
claim to fame:Took country from string bands to the current star-singer system
challengers:George Strait

Title:Godfather of Punk
held by:Iggy Pop
claim to fame:“I Just Wanna Be Your Dog,” rolling shirtless on broken glass
challengers:Malcolm McLaren, Joey Ramone, Lou Reed, Pete Townshend

Title:High Priestessof Punk
held by:Patti Smith
claim to fame:R.E.M., the Smiths, Sonic Youth — her influenceruns deep
challengers:Vivienne Westwood, Joan Jett

Title:King of the Surf Guitar
held by:Dick Dale
claim to fame:That wailing song that opened “Pulp Fiction”? That was him.
challengers:A bunch of guys you’ve never heard of