| Aron Burton | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1938-06-15)June 15, 1938 Senatobia, Mississippi, United States |
| Died | February 29, 2016(2016-02-29) (aged 77) Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Genres | Chicago blues, electric blues |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, bass guitarist, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, bass guitar |
| Years active | Late 1950s–2015 |
| Labels | Earwig, Delmark, Schubert |
Aron Burton (June 15, 1938 – February 29, 2016) was an American electric and Chicago blues singer, bass guitarist and songwriter. In his long career as a sideman with Freddie King, Albert Collins and Junior Wells and released a number of solo albums, including Good Blues to You (Delmark Records, 1999). His recorded work was nominated four times for a Blues Music Award in the category Blues Instrumentalist—Bass.
Biography
Burton was born on June 15, 1938, in Senatobia, Mississippi. He sang in several local churches and with his cousin founded a singing group, the Victory Travelers. Burton relocated to Chicago, Illinois, in 1955. His musical career commenced the following year, when he played the bass accompanying Freddie King. King purchased Burton's first bass guitar.
Burton served in the United States Army between 1961 and 1965. Upon discharge he found employment playing with Baby Huey & the Babysitters, Junior Wells (with whom Burton toured between 1969 and 1972) and Fenton Robinson. He contributed to recording sessions with George "Wild Child" Butler, Jackie Ross, Andrew "Blueblood" McMahon and Carey Bell (Heartaches and Pain, 1977). He also recorded a solo single, "Garbage Man", released by Cleartone Records.
In 1978, Burton joined his brother, Larry, in Albert Collins's backing band, the Icebreakers, and performed on Collins's Grammy Award–nominated album Ice Pickin'. He also toured with Collins before leaving his ensemble in the early 1980s. In the meantime, he worked as a horticulturist for twenty years in Garfield Park Conservatory, under the auspices of the Chicago Park District. He found further work playing with James Cotton, Johnny Littlejohn and Fenton Robinson (again), before relocating to Europe for a time in the late 1980s. While there, Burton recorded Usual Dangerous Guy, with piano accompaniment by Champion Jack Dupree.
By the early 1990s, Burton had returned to Chicago. Earwig Records issued the compilation album Past, Present, & Future (1993), a collection of recordings made between 1986 and 1993, in Europe and the United States, which established him as a frontman rather than a supporting musician. He appeared at the Chicago Blues Festival in 1994, where he was joined on stage by Liz Mandeville. She also sang on a couple of tracks of Burton's live album, Aron Burton Live (1996), recorded at Buddy Guy's club, Legends. The following year, Burton and his brother played at the Chicago Blues Festival. This led to the album Good Blues to You, released by Delmark Records in 1999.
Burton co-wrote a song recorded by Too Slim and the Taildraggers on the 2000 album King Size Troublemakers.
Aron Burton died in Chicago on February 29, 2016, of heart disease and diabetes.
Discography
Albums
| Year | Title | Record label |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Past, Present, & Future | Earwig Records |
| 1996 | Aron Burton Live | Earwig Records |
| 1999 | Good Blues to You | Delmark Records |
| 2001 | The Cologne Sessions | Schubert Records |
Selected work with other musicians
- Lickin' Gravy, George "Wild Child" Butler, 1976
- Heartaches and Pain, Carey Bell (Delmark, 1977 )
- Ice Pickin', Albert Collins, 1978
- High Compression, James Cotton, 1984
- Nightflight, Fenton Robinson, 1984
- Million Dollar $ecret, Valerie Wellington, 1984
- Daddy, When Is Mama Comin' Home, Big Jack Johnson, 1991
- Delta Bluesman, David "Honeyboy" Edwards, 1992
- Boogie My Blues Away, Eddy Clearwater, 1995
- Chicago Blues Session!, Willie Mabon, 1995
- Dream, John Littlejohn, 1995
- You're Gonna Miss Me, Ann Sexton, 1995
- Look at Me, Liz Mandeville, 1996
- Live in Chicago, Big Jack Johnson, 1997
- Cool Blue, Christian Rannenberg, 2000
- Way Things Go, Cleveland Fats, 2006
See also
References
- ^ Dahl, Bill. "Aron Burton". Allmusic.com. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
- ^ Hanson, Karen (2007). Today's Chicago Blues. Chicago: Lake Claremont Press. p. 106. ISBN 978-1-893121-19-5.
- Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2003). All Music Guide to the Blues: The Definitive Guide to the Blues. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 89. ISBN 978-0-87930-736-3.
- "Aron Burton". Earwigmusic.com. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
- ^ "Aron Burton". Centerstagechicago.com. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
- Hanson, Karen (2007). Today's Chicago Blues. Chicago: Lake Claremont Press. p. 158. ISBN 978-1-893121-19-5.
- ^ "Aron Burton: Credits". Allmusic.com. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
- "Obituaries". Mydigitalpublication.com. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- "Aron Burton: Discography". AllMusic.com. 1938-06-15. Retrieved 2015-10-02.
- 1938 births
- 2016 deaths
- African-American guitarists
- American blues guitarists
- American male bass guitarists
- American blues singers
- Songwriters from Mississippi
- Blues musicians from Mississippi
- Electric blues musicians
- Chicago blues musicians
- People from Senatobia, Mississippi
- Songwriters from Illinois
- Guitarists from Illinois
- Guitarists from Mississippi
- Deaths from diabetes in the United States
- 20th-century American bass guitarists
- 20th-century American male musicians
- Earwig Music artists
- African-American songwriters
- 20th-century African-American musicians
- 21st-century African-American musicians
- American male songwriters