James Burton puts guitars into children’s hands

On Nov. 7, Horseshoe Casino & Hotel in Bossier City will host a special benefit concert, the James Burton International Guitar Festival, at the Riverdome, beginning at 8 p.m. The event will be presented in conjunction with the James Burton Foundation as part of its ongoing efforts to bring the sound of music to children and veterans.

The concert will feature 14-time Grammy Award winner and Country Music Hall of Fame member Emmylou Harris. Also on the concert line-up are “American Idol” finalist John Foster, Johnny Owens (son of country star Buck Owens), Marty Haggard (son of Merle Haggard) and Australian music star Angus Gill, a Golden Guitar and Australian Independent Country Music Award winner. The house band throughout the evening will be award-winning Louisiana Music Hall of Fame members Johnny Earthquake and the Moondogs.

VIP tickets are available through the James Burton Foundation office, 714 Elvis Presley Ave., 318-424-5000. Special VIP tickets are $ 1,000 and include a front-row seat for the concert and a meet-and-greet with the artists.

This is not just another music concert at the Riverdome. As Louise Burton, wife of James Burton, the renowned guitar master and local boy made good, puts it, “We are the real deal.” While attendees will hear music from some of the best in the business, they’re also creating opportunities that go far beyond the confines of a music venue.

It started when James Burton became seriously ill in 1995, so sick that his life was in the balance. “God saved his life,” Louise asserted, “and so we always said we’ve got to pay it back. Does he want us to do that? For five years, we went around saying, ‘What does God want us to do as a thank you?’”

Burton comes from Dubberly, the son of hard-working parents with five children. Louise said they were poor, but they had the greatest family life ever; they were always together. And James had a strong hankering he couldn’t suppress, Louise said. “He always wanted to play the guitar; he never had one, but he played the broom. [One day] he picked up a guitar and played it. He said it just changed his whole life. He said, ‘I just wish that every kid could get a guitar. It could change their life.’ I looked at him and he said, ‘That’s what we have to do.’ I was like the bell went off. After five years, we knew what we had to do.”

So, in 2000, they put together the James Burton International Guitar Festival, got their friends together and let them know their simple plan. They would put on music shows, and because they started with no money, they would get all volunteer musicians. The money from seat sales would go to buying guitars for kids.

“This is our 20th year,” Louise said, “and we started with St. Jude and Shriners. That was our first year. Then we gave thousands to Caddo Parish, and then it went all over the world. We just went to London and donated to the children’s cancer hospital over there. We give to veterans all over the world. It’s not just local, but it started local. We still have the same board members we had 20 years ago, because they all know it’s the real deal.

“We’ve given guitars years ago in Caddo Parish, and some of them are now in Nashville, singers and songwriters who are very famous.”

She explained that they only give guitars for the apparent reason, and for some special ones. “Kids who don’t have concentration because they are bored, they learn concentration while they’re playing the guitar. Then it spills over into their English and math and everything else.

Featured musicians will play a fundraising concert benefiting The James Burton Foundation Nov. 7 at the Riverdome at Horseshoe Casino.

“We only give guitars, because those are the ones that are easy to carry around. You can be the biggest nerd in school — James was — and you’re invited to every party to play guitar.

“It’s such a win-win. It’s a win for the kids. It’s a win for the city. The same kid that’s 14 years old in the middle of his bed playing the guitar because of his peers, because of his school, because of his parents, is the same person when he’s 50 years old sitting on his patio because he’s got troubles at work, he’s got family problems and kid problems. It’s the same person, but the release is that guitar. He might be an attorney; he might be a plumber. It doesn’t matter. That guitar doesn’t care. It will give him such peace and self-esteem.

“That’s why these shows are so important, because there’s no red tape with us. If your principal calls and says, ‘We have a class; they need guitars,’ We just had this happen in Chicago on the east side. The teacher called and said we put into the school system, but we’ll never get guitars. ‘I’m teaching 12th grade. They’ve got to have something to inspire them, they’re so depressed.’ I said, ‘Have your principal send us a letter requesting your guitars, and we’ll have them there next week.’ That’s how much red tape it is. Of course, we check it out to make sure it’s legitimate and the need is real. And if they ever needed more, they know they can call us.

“It was like a bell went off. After five years, we knew what we had to do.”

JAMES BURTON

“What we’re doing is asking everyone to buy a ticket because when you buy a ticket, you’re actually buying a child a guitar. It takes a village to raise children, and we think many people would enjoy good music. But this is very special. This is not a money maker. This is for our local kids; this is for our neighbors’ kids. It’s the most incredible gift that you can give a person. And it’s a gift for a lifetime.”

James said, “My friends are coming and donating their time and talent for our kids. Let’s show them how much we appreciate them by packing out the show. [I’m] looking forward to seeing my friends there and meeting new ones.”

It’s not often a ticket to a music show can buy “the gift of a lifetime” for a kid or veteran in need of a shot of self-esteem, but the opportunity is here for the taking. As one grateful recipient wrote to Louise, “I never knew anyone in the world would love me enough to give me a guitar.”

Louise summed up the 24-year effort like this: “It’s not something they just open up at Christmas and that’s it. It’s something that is a forever gift. So, it means a lot to us.”