Milam Street from Common to Austin Place is being dedicated to James Burton. The two-blocks will be named James Burton Way to recognize the significant contributions the internationally recognized guitarist has made to the music industry and his hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana. The dedication ceremony is slated for Friday, April 12, 2024 at 4 pm at the northwest corner of Milam Street at Elvis Presley Avenue. Mayor Tom Arceneaux will declare April 12th as James Burton Day and present a proclamation acknowledging the contributions Burton has made to the entertainment industry.
Burton’s love of music began at an early age, and he found his first guitar in downtown Shreveport. “I happened to be walking by J&S Music on Milam Street,” he says. “This guitar was hanging in the window, and I just stood there drooling over it.” Fortunately, his parents bought his first guitar. “It was perfect,” Burton recalls. “It was the most important guitar in the world for me, and still today, I love that guitar.” Burton honed his skills on the ’53 Fender Telecaster while listening to KWKH in Shreveport. Through KWKH, Burton was exposed to Chet Atkins, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddly, Elmore James, and Lightnin’ Hopkins, among others. At the age of 14, Burton turned professional, skipping school to play guitar. Horace Logan, producer of the then-Louisiana Hayride, asked Burton to join the staff band where he played behind George Jones, Jimmy and Johnny, Billy Walker, and Johnny Horton. In ’55 Burton was playing with the Dale Hawkins band and devised a guitar riff that he liked. He played the riff for Hawkins, and they worked out a song to use in his act. One thing led to another, and the riff wound up on a record called “Suzie Q,” James wrote the lick and Hawkins wrote the lyrics. “Suzie Q” is still a popular song today.
In 1968, James got the call from Elvis Presley to be on his Comeback Television Special, but at the time, he was working with Frank Sinatra and was unavailable. Elvis told James how he always watched the Ozzie and Harriet show just to see him play. Elvis called James back in 1969 to form a band for Presley’s Las Vegas engagement. Though a tough decision at the time since Burton’s studio career was busy and lucrative, he accepted Presley’s offer of taking a few months to get the band together. That decision changed Burton’s life and Rock N Roll forever. Burton was Presley’s band leader until Presley’s death in 1977.
In 2005 James Burton founded the James Burton Foundation and signature fundraiser – James Burton International Guitar Festival – which raises money to purchase guitars for children in school systems throughout the country, veterans, and children in hospitals in the United States and Europe. The Foundation has given thousands of guitars to young musicians in the hopes of keeping the music alive for generations to come.
Burton has received numerous awards over the years and has been inducted into many honorable institutions such as the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame, The Musicians Hall of Fame, The Rockabilly Hall of Fame, The Rock N Roll Hall of Fame, and most recently the Country Music Hall of Fame. Burton is also a Grammy Winner. He still tours the world, playing his guitar and is honored to be an ambassador for the great state of Louisiana and his hometown of Shreveport.
For more information on the James Burton Foundation, contact 318-222-7043.