I'm Terry Gross. Every time I hit your crystal city, you know you're going to make a wreck out of me. James Burton and Elvis Presley performing live onstage. James Burton is famous in the music world for his work as a sideman. In 1971, James was in the studio to record with Elvis. In 1975, Emmylou Harris had hired both James and Glen D. Hardin for her Hot Band. An original Telecaster master still going strong, James Burton influenced generations of rock guitar royalty with his perfectly phrased late-'50s/early-'60s Tele® work with Ricky Nelson, and his later stints with Elvis Presley, Emmylou Harris, Elvis Costello and many others only furthered his … RICKY NELSON: (Singing) I believe what you say when you say you're going steady with nobody else but me. But, you know, if you can do something you really love for a living, that's even better. (SOUNDBITE OF ELVIS PRESLEY SONG, "HEARTBREAK HOTEL"), GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. Many will have spotted the quiet man playing the pink paisley Tele on stage with Elvis during his famous Las Vegas 70s residency, but few seem to grasp the huge influence James Burton has wielded over the history of rock ’n’ roll. And Merle called me - I guess it was in '66 or '67 when we recorded. And he said, well, take him down and get that. And for Elvis Week 2019, the king and his court ruled again. All rights reserved. So I was a little nervous about playing it. You have to come down and check it out. The initialism TCB stands for Taking Care of Business, a personal motto Presley adopted in the early 1970s. Elvis' Guitarist James Burton : Fresh Air Burton, who went professional at age 14, played in Ricky Nelson's band, and has been on hundreds of recordings, including those by … The girl said: “James Burton.” Elvis started to laugh, and then walked her over to James, who gave her a kiss. James Burton Interview - Rick Nelson & Elvis: An important 25-year milestone passed recently. Steven Gaydos ... Elvis Presley, and the Queen of Country Music, Emmylou Harris. We'll be right back after a break. I think he told you that he was afraid that he wasn't going to be able to do it. GRAM PARSONS AND EMMYLOU HARRIS: (Singing) Ooh, Las Vegas ain't no place for a poor boy like me. He … I taught myself to play, and my teacher was God. It was great. Man, Ozzie said, wow, this is great. See more ideas about James burton, Music icon, Elvis. And Bob Luman was a great singer, and we were in LA doing some rehearsals on some songs to record. James was also turned down by drummer Richie Frost a fellow Ricky Nelson band member. You could play any style - 'cause I have a light touch. I just love - I love the way he plays. When Elvis didn't show up because he was ill, the producer saw an opportunity to record James' second solo album: "The Guitar Sounds of James Burton". Man, it sounds great, and it looks great. What are your memories of playing this for the first time? And I put the first four strings - the first, second, third and fourth banjo strings on. James is the only band member to also record with Elvis in the studio on all recordings from 1970 on. TCB Band, Elvis Presley, Ricky Nelson, Emmylou Harris, John Denver, The Strangers, James Edward Burton James Edward Burton (born August 21, 1939, in Dubberly, Louisiana) is an American guitarist. I said, yeah, I was a little nervous about bringing it out onstage. 1975 Today We didn't want to get our head chopped off. GROSS: So you kept playing with Elvis from '69 until his death, so you weren't put in a position to watch his health deteriorate. And the next day, we got a telegram from Ricky to go to the General Service Studios where they do the TV show "Ozzie And Harriet.". BURTON: I don't remember anything. After the solid success of Elvis: That’s the Way It Is, and with his career as a movie actor having reached a standstill, Elvis Presley undertook a second concert documentary. The Official James Burton Website The program features footage of Elvis from previous concerts along with his supporting musicians and singers live on stage together in Memphis. One night, a little Asian girl came up to the stage, and Elvis asked her if she wanted a scarf or a kiss. I could play a little bit like them. Was that a financial hardship for them, or were they able to easily afford it? And after the second show, Elvis said, hey, James. And we did "Mystery Train," some of the Elvis songs. We had fun doing it, you know? And it was - for me, it was great. BURTON: That's correct. The first two weeks, I decided to only play my Telecaster that my mother and dad bought me and I played on thousands of records. His dynamic rockabilly style of playing brought him to the attention of … But I woke up one day and said, there's only one Chet, one Merle Travis and one Les Paul, so I have to do my own thing. Burton has played with many iconic performers, including Frank Sinatra, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris. But James Burton is still taking orders from him. And Ricky came in one day on business while we were rehearsing, wanting to know who the band was in the next room playing. Sidelined by his big-screen career, eclipsed by rock’s mid-’60s transformations, the King had begun his return two years earlier with the relatively lean attack of his fabled network television appearance, ’68 Comeback Special. And I used to go up to Brian Wilson's house in Bel Air, and we would play all weekend. He came to me and he said, James, you've got to play that new guitar, man. GROSS: Which became a big hit - so why don't we hear "Susie Q"? During the taping, John asked if James would consider going out on a European tour. And Ralph Mooney is featured on pedal steel, and there's some really nice interplay between you on guitar and him on pedal steel. He was accompanied by an orchestra as well as a five-piece band, which was assembled by my guest, James Burton, who also backed Elvis on guitar. James Burton Dishes on Leaving the Shadows for the Bright Lights of Hollywood By Steven Gaydos. Feb 5, 2016 - Explore Judith Paterson's board "James Burton", followed by 418 people on Pinterest. Before I went to work with Ricky, I met him. So here is my guest James Burton on guitar. I got to slow down here and lose this weight. And I said - Red West came to me, the Memphis Mafia guy. In 1971, James was in the studio to record with Elvis. And Ricky got his guitar, and I had my guitar and the bass player. Steven Gaydos ... Elvis Presley, and the Queen of Country Music, Emmylou Harris. You can hear him on the new box set, Elvis: Live 1969. It was like your lick and his lyric. So I just went down one. But later on, we went back to Louisiana, my hometown, and Ozzie called me maybe two weeks later and asked me to come and join Ricky, be his lead guitar player. GROSS: OK, so here's Merle Haggard's "The Bottle Let Me Down," recorded in 1966 with my guest James Burton on guitar and Ralph Mooney on pedal steel guitar. GROSS: So a few years ago - I'm not sure when it was exactly; you can let me know - you were in an accident, and you broke both your ankles, and they were really bad breaks. I picked it up one day to move it off the couch, and I couldn't pick it up. And I wanted to bend the strings, but I realized that I couldn't actually do it with those strings. Elvis is gone. James Burton didn't invent the Telecaster. James stayed with Elvis until Elvis' death in 1977. While on the phone, Elvis told James that he really loved his playing and that he used to watch the Ozzie and Harriet show just to see James play with Ricky Nelson at the end of each show. 1973 Elvis (Fool) Elvis' Guitarist James Burton: 'I Went Professional When I Was 14': Burton played in Ricky Nelson's band, and has been on hundreds of recordings, including those … A year later however, James got another call from the King and this time, James was available. And I'm self-taught. Something else that you did to have your own distinct sound is you replaced some of your guitar strings with banjo strings. JAMES BURTON has played on more number ones than he can remember. We come up with new ideas and different ideas, and that's the best part about training your ear to be, you know, self-taught, training your ear to hear everything, you know? Burton has played with many performers, including Frank Sinatra, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, Buffalo Springfield, Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris. I did an album with Henry Mancini, and the first thing I asked him on the phone - I said, Henry, if you're looking for somebody to read note-for-note what you write out, you need to call one of my friends. Scheff didn’t want to do it, but he went to the auditions and was just blown away by Elvis’ performance. He played with Elvis Presley from '69 until his death in '77, starting with Elvis' stage comeback in 1969 in Vegas. I played on "Louisiana Hayride" when I was 14 in the staff band behind all the great, great entertainers, like George Jones and Johnnie and Jack and Billy Walker - a lot of the country entertainers. But it was amazing. It was amazing. I wanted to do something for the kids in music, and I got to thinking I would like to donate guitars to the kids in school - you know, get music back in schools. And I said, yeah. So I decided to experiment, try the banjo strings because banjo strings are lighter. And, like, instead of buttons, there were rivets - like, rivet buttons in the center. I want him to have it. I'm a very slow reader. My favorite guitar player - my hero was Chet Atkins, Merle Travis and Les Paul, and I wanted to play like them, which I could. GROSS: I read that he rehearsed with weights on his hands and feet so that he'd be... BURTON: He would do that because, I guess, wearing those suits and everything, he had to get ready for it - jumping around onstage. See more ideas about james burton, ricky nelson, burton. I enjoyed the solo. BURTON: Yeah. And when I got my first guitar, we sat down. It was the father's idea for you to do that? And when he called me and asked me to put the band together in '69, he said that his favorite thing was to be onstage and sing to his live audience. Shreveport, LA 71101, Rick Nelson remembered – 2010 Interview, Elvis In Person At The International Hotel, LV Nevada, Elvis Sings The Wonderful World Of Christmas, Elvis As Recorded At Madison Square Garden, Elvis as Recorded Live on Stage in Memphis. My wife just told me a few days after we got home what happened, but when I actually came out of the coma, there were doctors in my room asking me all kinds of questions because they didn't know where I would be. See more ideas about James burton, Music icon, Elvis. The only musician they needed was a drummer. But the Merle Haggard thing, "The Bottle Let Me Down" - Merle was such a great singer, and I just loved playing on his records and playing on all his songs. This is Ricky Nelson with my guest, James Burton, on guitar. JAMES BURTON: Thank you, Terry. This is FRESH AIR. Ronnie Tutt auditioned and got the job. James Burton was born in Dubberly, Louisiana, on August 21, 1939, but he grew up in Shreveport which he refers to as home. And James Burton wrote that famous guitar lick that you heard there. But he gave it the tangy bite and dazzling pyrotechnics that define its classic sound.Dale Hawkins, Ricky Nelson, Elvis Presley, Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris, John Denver, Elvis Costello—if that reads like a rockabilly-to-country-rock genealogy, well, it is. Burton is a native of Louisiana, born in 1939, who started his professional career in music at the age of 14. He played with Elvis Presley from Elvis' 1969 comeback performances in Vegas until Elvis's death in 1977. And their two sons, David and Ricky, played their two sons. 1970 On Stage "Susie Q.". On that special, there were people such as Elvis Costello, Tom Waits, K.D. But when Elvis called me and asked me to put the band together for a 1969 comeback and he said, you know, I watch the "Ozzie And Harriet" TV show, I watch Ricky sing and you play guitar - he said, it's my favorite show. GROSS: Yeah, that's great because probably, a lot of the kids couldn't afford guitars, and like you said, a lot of school music programs have been cut out. I believe, do believe, I believe, yeah, I believe, pretty baby, believe you're going steady with nobody else but me. The TCB Band was a group of professional musicians who formed the core rhythm section of Elvis Presley’s band from August 1969 until his death in 1977. Elvis than asked, “What do you want?” The girl said: “James Burton.” Elvis started to laugh, and then walked her over to James, who gave her a kiss. It was just a huge lineup of singers from that era. That's too flashy, too bright for me. And all the time I worked with him, I never saw any of that. That guitar - this was amazing. But evidently, I got a little bit too much of morphine when they put me to sleep, and I had a bad reaction to it, and it put me in a coma for 12 days. I told him a story. GROSS: I want to get to what you were doing in 1966. He has also played with Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, Dean Martin, The Everly Brothers, Bobby Darin, Jerry Lee Lewis and many others. GROSS: Well, let me reintroduce you here. He always keyed off guitar, and he'd always give me looks onstage. James Burton and his famous friends. Elvis might say something onstage and, you know, might embarrass me. GROSS: Well, let me describe this. In 1969, Burton got a call from Elvis Presley. BURTON: It was different, all right. I was so busy and doing everything with Ricky up till he - I don't know. James Burton, Actor: The Guardian. BURTON: I just love Ralph. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. So they were married, and they played husband and wife. And this is "Believe What You Say." NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. He was the greatest teacher in the world. BURTON: Well, actually, I only broke one ankle on my left foot. Any letters and other mail can be sent to: James Burton 714 Elvis Presley Ave Shreveport, LA 71101 jamesburtonfest@aol.com

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