James Burton
(born August 21, 1939, in Minden, Louisiana) is an American guitarist. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2001 (his induction speech was given by longtime fan Keith Richards), Burton has also been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. Critic Mark Demming writes that "Burton has a well-deserved reputation as one of the finest guitar pickers in either country or rock ... [Burton is] one of the best guitar players to ever touch a fretboard" [1]
Since the 1950s, Burton has recorded and performed with an array of notable singers, including Bob Luman, Dale Hawkins, Ricky Nelson, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, John Denver, Gram Parsons, Jerry Lee Lewis, Claude King, Elvis Costello, Joe Osborn, Roy Orbison, Joni Mitchell and Allen "Puddler" Harris.
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JAMES BURTON TICKETS
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Biography
Early life and career
Born in Minden, the seat of
Webster Parish, Louisiana, Burton moved to
Shreveport with his family in 1949. He is self-taught, and was playing
guitar from his childhood.
By the time he was thirteen years old, Burton was playing guitar semi-professionally. A year later he was hired to be part of the staff band for the enormously popular
Louisiana Hayride
radio show in Shreveport. Burton left Shreveport for
Los Angeles while in his teens after joining
Ricky Nelson's band. In L.A., he made numerous recordings as a
session musician. Burton created and played the guitar solo on
Dale Hawkins 1957 hit song "
Susie Q," a record that would become one of
the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
With Rick Nelson
Burton played lead guitar on all of
Rick Nelson's recordings between 1958 and 1967. In 1965 he started working on the television program
Shindig!
and eventually left Nelson's band two years later. The television exposure led to continuous recording session work with a huge variety of artists, mostly as an unattributed sideman. Due to the volume of work, Burton turned down an offer to join
Bob Dylan's first touring band, and another offer to play on Elvis Presley's 1968 comeback TV special
Elvis
.
[2]
With Elvis Presley
In 1969, Presley again asked Burton to join his show in Las Vegas, and this time Burton agreed. He joined the
TCB Band and backed Presley from 1969 until Presley's death in 1977 without missing a single show. A hallmark of Elvis' live shows in this period was his exhortation, "Play it, James," as a cue for the guitarist's solos.
Since 1998, Burton has played lead guitar in
Elvis: The Concert
which reunited some of Elvis' former TCB bandmates, background singers and Elvis' orchestral conductor (mostly from the "concert years" 1969-1977) live on stage with a state-of-the-art video-projected Elvis.
With John Denver
During 1975 and 1976, while still touring with Presley, Burton was one of the first members to join and tour with
Emmylou Harris as part of her backing band, the "Hot Band", after the death of
Gram Parsons. He was joined by a cast of talented musicians which included his bandmate with Presley,
Glen D. Hardin, and newer musicians which included
Rodney Crowell. However, once Presley was ready to return to the road, Burton returned to perform with him, although the others, including Hardin, elected to continue with Harris. Just before Presley died in 1977, Burton was called to play on a
John Denver television special. During the taping, Denver asked if Burton would consider going on a European tour. Burton said he was working with Elvis, but if scheduling permitted, he would be glad to go. Shortly after Elvis' death, Burton began a regular collaboration with Denver. The first album they recorded was
I Want to Live
.
During the sessions, Burton and Denver talked about a band. Glen Hardin and
Jerry Scheff, from Presley's band, joined the new band too. Burton remained a member of Denver's band until 1994, but often toured in parallel with other artists including
Jerry Lee Lewis. In the 16 years Burton worked with Denver, they recorded 12 albums and toured around the world. While touring with Denver, Burton carried several instruments, including backup
Dobros and a spare 1969 Paisley Red
Fender Telecaster he had used as a touring guitarist with
Elvis Presley during the 1970s.
[3]
He rejoined Denver in 1995 for the Wildlife Concert. When Denver died in 1997, Burton spoke at his memorial service in Aspen, Colorado.
Recent career
Burton's later career included work with
Ricky Nelson,
Elvis Presley,
John Denver,
Merle Haggard,
Gram Parsons, and
Emmylou Harris, among others. Beginning with
King of America
(1986), Burton recorded and toured with
Elvis Costello intermittently for about a decade. In 1988, he was a prominent part of the acclaimed
Cinemax special,
Roy Orbison and Friends, A Black and White Night
.
In 1990, Burton moved back to his hometown of Shreveport permanently.
In the fall of 2004, Burton recorded
Matt Lucas-Back in the Saddle Again
, a sequel to the Matt Lucas album
The Chicago Sessions
. The album features rockabilly and country music, and was released in May 2006 by
Ten O Nine Records. In 2005, Burton started the annual to raise money for his charitable foundation. The festival is held in the Red River District of Shreveport.
[4] In 2007 he was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in Nashville as a member of the L.A. session player group known as
The Wrecking Crew.
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In 2008, Burton was asked by
Brad Paisley to play on his upcoming album
Play. Burton went along for the ride and played on an instrumental track called "Cluster Pluck," as did
Vince Gill,
Steve Wariner,
Redd Volkaert,
Albert Lee,
John Jorgensen, and
Brent Mason. At the
51st Grammy Awards in 2009, the song won Best Country Instrumental Performance.
Equipment
Burton works with a variety of amplifiers to provide flexibility and a wide range of sounds.
He has used a Music Man 210-150, an old Fender Twin with K model Lansing speakers, and a 1964 Fender Deluxe. His primary guitar has always been a Fender Telecaster, beginning with an early blonde model his parents bought for him around 1951 or 1952.
[5] His 1969 Paisley Red (better known as Pink Paisley) Telecaster became the model for a
Fender Artist Signature model in 1991, with
Lace Sensor pickups and a TBX tone circuit.
[6] Five years later his 1953 Candy Apple Red Telecaster was the inspiration for a standard version Artist Signature model featuring two Fender Texas Special Tele
single coil pickups and a vintage-style 6-saddle
bridge. In 2006, the Signature Paisley model was redesigned with a red paisley flame design over a black body, plus three specially designed blade pickups, a no-load tone control and S-1 switching system.
[7]
See also
- James Burton Telecaster
- Ricky Nelson
- Hybrid picking
- Elvis Presley
- TCB Band
References
- The Guitar Sounds of James Burton from Allmusic.com URL accessed March 09, 2007
- Biography
- James Burton: First Call for the Royalty of Rockabilly
- http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080823/NEWS01/808230333&referrer=FRONTPA
- Fender Players Club: James Burton
- The Fender Telecaster: The Detailed Story of America's Senior Solid Body Electric Guitar
- Legendary Guitarist James Burton Talks Elvis, Ricky Nelson and Guitars