James Burton on PBS

[Southpaw Tele]

I'm sitting here watching Roy Orbison "Black and White Night" and have a new appreciation for James Burton. I know he was Elvis Presley's guitarist, but other than that, I know next to nothing about him. I know, I know...it's the the TDPRI. I'm going to check amazon.com for some tunes involving Burton. Any suggestions?

[jwj4856]

Sent you a PM

[Dave Hopping]

Southpaw,you are in for a BIG treat! JB has been on some cool tunes,from Ricky Nelson to EP to Emmylou,some choice Merle Haggard,Buck Owens.Did Judy Collins' "Someday Soon"(with Buddy Emmons!),a whole lot of other people I can't think of right now............Anybody else want to name some JB-connected artists?

[musicmatty]

Elvis Presley live at Madison Square Garden' This CD is filled with James Burton start to finish.

[byrdbrain]

Elvis : That's the Way It Is is full of prime Burton.
I love the rehearsal scenes on that DVD.

[T Prior]

Although JB's tenure with Elvis is one of great recognition, it is a mistake to not recognize the big picture. JB began his career on the Ozzie and Harriet show with Ricky Nelson and from there it has not stopped, the only time I ever saw him live was with John Denver ! James is as important to Rock and Roll as he is to the Telecaster, Elvis is only part of the big picture.

tp

[byrdbrain]

Then there's the early, pre-Nelson stuff with Dale Hawkins ("Susie Q")
and Bob Luman ("Red Cadillac and a Black Moustache")
He also plays dobro (Buffalo Springfield's "A Child's Claim to Fame"
and several Haggard songs).
There's a lot of Burton (and Glen D.Hardin and Ronnie Tutt)
on Emmylou's Pieces of the Sky.
And be sure to check out this thread, started by olewichita, who is a goldmine of such information.

[Amby]

And on Emmylou's Elite Hotel.

[Southpaw Tele]

I grew up in a home with parents who were big on Elvis, Orbison, and Johnny Cash, but my dad never played an instrument and mom's a piano wiz. I always loved that twangy, throaty sound of the guitar on those albums and 8-tracks. Luther Perkins Esquire, JB's Tele...However, I fell in love with the Tele when I saw Jonny Greenwood (of Radiohead fame) going to town on his Tele Plus in some footage of the song "Paranoid Android" in the documentary, "Meeting People Is Easy".

The Tele truly is a versatile instrument. Now I was another one.

[varakeef]

Not to forget his work in Gram Parsons GP and Grievious Angel. Bot great albums are issued in one cd, bargain.

Discography etc:
http://www.james-burton.net/portal/index.php

[e-merlin]

Originally Posted by Southpaw Tele

I'm sitting here watching Roy Orbison "Black and White Night" and have a new appreciation for James Burton.

I love that show. I watch it every time PBS plays it. It's unfortunate that not everyone playing was in the mix; Springsteen for instance.

Did you notice that JB's Paisley Tele has either a modern bridge or an aftermarket bridge? It certainly wasn't the vintage bridge. And he's got a unique tone! More throaty as someone said.

[old geezer]

JB certainly has earned his place in Tele history. His contributions to tone, style, fills and rifts, etc are a real treat and have taught many of us some great lessons. Thanks James !

[davidge1]

Everyone who plays telecaster and is into country guitar playing should have the song Open Up Your Heart by Buck Owens (from the album of the same name). James Burton's playing on this song defines "chicken pickin" This song is the quintessential example of James Burton's sound and style, in my opinion.

The website wolfgangsvault.com has free streaming audio of an Emmylou Harris performance with some great James Burton playing too.

[dougpc]

James Burton can be seen right now on the Sundance Channel on Elvis Costello's talk/music show Spectacle. The first show features Elton John talking about his influences and jamming with Costello and a band that includes Allen Toussaint and James Burton as well as Pete Thomas and Davey Faragher from The Imposters.

[DustyDave]

Also on "Black and White Night" is J.D. Souther (who wrote several of the Eagles hits).
He is in Santa Fe tonight. And I got tickets!