Happy Birthday James Burton!!
Although Burton was born in Minden, the county seat of Webster County, his family moved to Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1949. Shreveport was then home to radio station KWKH and the Louisiana Hayride, a live entertainment program that was the first to feature rock music.
En 1953, con sólo 14 años y con su guitarra Fender Telecaster recién adquirida, Burton se convierte en músico de plantilla del programa, y coincide allí con talentos de la guitarra como Muddy Waters y Chet Atkins y el maestro de la steel guitar Sonny Trammell, que contribuyen a moldear su estilo.
In 1953, at just 14 years old and armed with his newly acquired Fender Telecaster guitar, Burton became a staff musician on the show, meeting guitar talents such as Muddy Waters and Chet Atkins, and steel guitar maestro Sonny Trammell, who all helped shape his style.
In 1957, she met Dale Hawkings, who recorded the song “Suzie-Q,” based on a riff composed by Burton and to which Hawkings wrote lyrics. “Suzie-Q” immediately became a hit and eventually became a rock and roll classic, the first in a long series in which Burton appeared.
In 1958, when he signed on as Ricky Nelson’s backing guitarist, he moved to Los Angeles, where he began a lengthy career as a session musician, participating in numerous recordings as part of The Wrecking Crew. Due to his workload, Burton turned down an offer to join Bob Dylan’s first touring band, and another offer to play on Elvis Presley’s 1968 comeback television special.
In 1969, Presley again asked Burton to join his Las Vegas show, and this time, Burton accepted. Burton organized the TCB Band, serving as its leader, and backed Presley from 1969 until Presley’s death in 1977. A hallmark of Elvis’s live shows during this period was his exhortation, “Play it, James,” as a cue for the guitarist’s solos.
During his first season in Las Vegas in 1969, Burton played his standard red Telecaster. Shortly after, he purchased the now-familiar pink customized Telecaster. Burton wasn’t sure Elvis would like it; however, after Elvis did, Burton used it for every show.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
Information provided by Alfredo Ayul of Simply Elvis. https://www.facebook.com/groups/estoeselvis/
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