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Aron Burton

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Aron Burton
Born(1938-06-15)June 15, 1938
Senatobia, Mississippi, United States
DiedFebruary 29, 2016(2016-02-29) (aged 77)
Chicago, Illinois, United States
GenresChicago blues, electric blues[1]
Occupation(s)Singer, bass guitarist, songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, bass guitar
Years activeLate 1950s–2015
LabelsEarwig, Delmark, Schubert

Aron Burton (June 15, 1938 – February 29, 2016) was an American electric and Chicago blues singer, bass guitarist and songwriter. In a long career as a sideman he played with Freddie King, Albert Collins and Junior Wells and released a number of solo albums, including Good Blues to You (Delmark Records, 1999).[1] His recorded work was nominated four times for a Blues Music Award in the category Blues Instrumentalist—Bass.[2]

Biography

Burton was born in Senatobia, Mississippi.[1] 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.[3] King purchased Burton's first bass guitar.[1]

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)[2] 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).[1][4] He also recorded a solo single, "Garbage Man", released by Cleartone Records.[1]

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'.[2] He also toured with Collins before leaving his ensemble in the early 1980s.[1] In the meantime, he worked as a horticulturist for twenty years in Garfield Park Conservatory, under the auspices of the Chicago Park District.[2] 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.[1]

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.[1] He appeared at the Chicago Blues Festival in 1994, where he was joined on stage by Liz Mandeville.[5] 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.[4] This led to the album Good Blues to You, released by Delmark Records in 1999.[1]

Burton co-wrote a song recorded by Too Slim and the Taildraggers on the 2000 album King Size Troublemakers.[6]

Aron Burton died in Chicago on February 29, 2016, of heart disease and diabetes.[7]

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

[8]

Selected work with other musicians

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Dahl, Bill. "Aron Burton". Allmusic.com. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d Hanson, Karen (2007). Today's Chicago Blues. Chicago: Lake Claremont Press. p. 106. ISBN 978-1-893121-19-5.
  3. ^ "Aron Burton". Earwigmusic.com. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
  4. ^ a b "Aron Burton". Centerstagechicago.com. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
  5. ^ Hanson, Karen (2007). Today's Chicago Blues. Chicago: Lake Claremont Press. p. 158. ISBN 978-1-893121-19-5.
  6. ^ a b "Aron Burton: Credits". Allmusic.com. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
  7. ^ "Obituaries". Mydigitalpublication.com. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  8. ^ "Aron Burton: Discography". AllMusic.com. 1938-06-15. Retrieved 2015-10-02.
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