"Man, I'll tell ya," says bluesman Michael Burks, "I don't play music for my health. I do it because I love it. Blues is life experience, and my blues comes from my heart." Boasting remarkable natural talent, gospel-driven soulfulness and a powerful, blue-collar work ethic, Michael Burks is a contemporary bluesman with deep, traditional roots. He performs every song he plays with an intensity and conviction sorely missing from most contemporary music today. Even though he has been playing music since he was a child, it was the release of MAKE IT RAIN, his Alligator Records debut in 2001, that brought Burks well-deserved national recognition and made him one of the blues world's fastest-rising stars. With musical roots connecting him to Albert King, Freddie King and Albert Collins, Burks' sound and style are all his own. Blues Revue says, "Make no mistake, Burks is his own bluesman. Hard-hitting blues, outrageous tone…blazing, explosive solo skills…part rock, part soul and filled with plenty of blues sensibility." According to GuitarOne, "Burks is a blues legend in waiting."
The waiting is now over. With the release of his new CD, I SMELL SMOKE, Burks is set to take his place beside the biggest, most legendary names in the blues. Produced by Jim Gaines (Luther Allison, Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughan), Alligator president Bruce Iglauer and Burks, I SMELL SMOKE features 12 songs all fueled by Burks' feral guitar playing and gruff, soulful vocals. As raw and passionate as ever, Burks plays with the precision and dedication of the seasoned veteran that he is. His hard-driving fretwork, soul-tinged vocals and captivating showmanship have ignited a legion of fans, as audiences around the world continue adding fuel to the Michael Burks blues fire.
Born in Milwaukee in 1957, Michael quite literally entered the world with blues in his blood. Joe Burks, Michael's grandfather, played acoustic, Delta-style blues guitar in his hometown of Camden, Arkansas. A multi-talented man, Joe was a barber, carpenter and aviation mechanic in addition to playing in area juke joints. Michael's father, Frederick, who moved to Milwaukee in 1953, was a bass player. For years, Frederick Burks worked in Milwaukee steel mills and refineries during the day and spent his evenings performing in the city's smoky, dimly-lit blues clubs, often backing harmonica legend Sonny Boy Williamson II, as well as other touring blues stars and local front men.
It was Frederick who began teaching his son guitar from the moment Michael could hold one starting when Michael was two years old. Equipped with a fully functional, child-size guitar, the young Burks began emulating the bass runs of his father. Soon he was learning scales and songs. By the age of five, he was diligently studying his father's 45s, aided by an effective lesson plan. "I'll give you a dollar if you learn this song by the time I'm home from work," Frederick would tell his young prodigy. Sure enough, Michael would learn that tune inside out and sideways by the time his father walked through the front door. Michael had begun to collect a tall stack of dollar bills when the elder Burks realized his teaching tactics were burning an unwanted hole in his wallet. Finally, Frederick told his son, "Here's another 45. You learn this one, and you're gonna get a lickin'." But Michael kept practicing, and by the time he was six, he played his first gig during a trip to his family's hometown in southern Arkansas. The fledgling guitarist took the stage with his cousin's band and thrilled an unsuspecting audience.
In the early 1970s, after a machine accident left his hand injured and his musical career severely hampered, Frederick Burks moved his family back to Arkansas. There, Michael and his siblings helped their father build the Bradley Ferry Country Club-a 300-seat juke joint-with their bare hands. By this time Michael was fronting his own band as well as backing several of the blues and R&B greats that passed through town. Johnnie Taylor and O.V. Wright were just two of the luminaries to call on Michael's services. Business at the Bradley Ferry thrived for years, with Michael Burks leading the house band every Thursday through Saturday. Tables near the stage had to be reserved two weeks in advance.
When the Bradley Ferry finally closed in the mid-1980s, Michael needed to find a day job. For over a decade he worked as a mechanical technician for Lockheed-Martin; at one point during his stint with the advanced technology corporation he even built missile components. Michael's desire to perform remained strong however, and in 1994 he formed a new band and began playing clubs and regional festivals. Despite his not having a record, the diesel-powered energy of Michael's performances began to earn him festival offers from Florida to California. Fortunately, Michael's boss was a blues lover. He recognized Michael's ability and encouraged it, giving Burks the flexibility of long weekends in order to tour. On more than a few occasions, Lockheed even entertained its clients by flying them to Michael's festival appearances.
After years of performing without a record, Michael released his self-produced debut, From The Inside Out, in 1997. The album confidently announced Michael's intention to take the blues world by storm. His impassioned, string-bending solos, combined with his fiery tone and smoldering vocals, left no doubt that Michael Burks was an emotionally-charged blues powerhouse. Critics and fans loved what they heard. Blues Access proclaimed From The Inside Out to be "the most impressive indie in recent memory," and Living Blues rated it as one of "the best debut discs of the year." In 2000, Burks received a Blues Music Award nomination for Best New Artist even though he was already a hard-working professional.
It had become clear that Burks had to pursue his musical career full-time once again. Fueled with a tank full of positive reviews, Michael began to play more festivals than ever before, appearing at the Chicago Blues Festival, Telluride Blues Festival, Mississippi Valley Blues Fest, and Kalamazoo Blues Fest and making headlining appearances at the Mississippi Muddy Waters Blues Fest, Arkansas River Blues Fest, and the Blind Willie Blues Fest, among others.
Burks joined the Alligator family in 2001 and released the critically acclaimed MAKE IT RAIN. The Chicago Sun-Times called the album "chilling and heartfelt." Billboard agreed, declaring, "Burks is a powerhouse blues guitar slinger…he blasts through licks like Clapton used to play-think lightning-just because he can. He is a great guitarist." Vintage Guitar shouted, "Gospel-ringed, sweet and nasty. Burks will warm your heart at the same time he puts a chill down your back." Burks immediately hit the road in support of the CD, bringing his blistering blues to fans across the country and throughout Europe and Australia as well, with gigs at clubs, concert halls and major festivals everywhere.
The unstoppable, heartfelt intensity that Michael brings to the stage lies at the very core of his appeal. Dedicated fans around the country and in Europe already know and appreciate the sweat, hard work and intensity he pours out each night. A constant string of performances at premier festivals and clubs continues to add even more word-of-mouth fuel to the fire. His deep, soul-infused music and undeniable charisma have proven Michael Burks to be an overwhelming force in the blues. With I SMELL SMOKE and continued touring, Michael Burks is igniting a fire in the blues world that will continue to burn for a long time to come.
