Going For A Burton
- 15 May 07, 10:20 AM
James Burton wears snakeskin boots, a western shirt and a Fender Telecaster with flames lashing up the sides. He has played with Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Gram Parsons, Rick Nelson and Elvis Costello. He΅―s a proper legend and on a damp Monday night in Belfast, he is live and heroic at The Empire Music Hall.
The place is stuffed with rockabillies, guitar afficionados, Presley devotees and country fans. James is almost 68, but he has the strut of a young man and his fingers are working fast over the frets. He takes us back to the primal days of rock with ΅®Suzie Q΅―, which practically slithers out of the swamps. Later he will play ΅®Johnny B Goode΅―, the tale of another guitar ace from Louisiana, and just to prove a point, he plays the lead break behind his head. Just like ringing a bell΅
Billy Swann, another veteran, takes most of the vocals, but it΅―s James we΅―ve come to see. He΅―s cranking out ΅®Promised Land΅― and a glorious ΅®Polk Salad Annie΅―, a throwback to his times as the leader of the Taking Care Of Business band. This is the closest many of us will get to Presley.
I once did the Graceland tour and found it rather sterile, but tonight, as the guitar man revives the old tunes, Elvis is most definitely in the building.
The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ is not responsible for the content of external internet sites
Comments?? Post your comment