Jimmy Dobro

Jimmy Dobro was one of several aliases used by rock guitar pioneer, James Burton, best known for his playing with Ricky Nelson, Elvis Presley and Gram Parsons. During a rare break from sideman work, Burton released a single, "Swamp Surfer" b/w "Everybody Listens To The Dobro", as Jimmy Dobro, in 1963. Although it disappeared almost as soon as it was released, it marked a step in the career of one of rock's great instrumentalists. A native of Minden, Lousiana, who grew up in the larger city of Shreveport, Burton was still a teenager when he began amazing listeners with his single-note melodies. A backup musician on the Louisiana Hayride, he played guitar on Dale Hawkins' swamp-rock classic, "Suzie Q". After briefly playing with Bob Luman, he moved to southern California, where he quickly hooked up with Nelson, with whom he worked until 1969. Assembling a band for Elvis Presley in 1969, Burton worked with Presley until 1977. At the same time, he became a member of Gram Parsons' band, in the early-1970s, and continued to work with Parsons' girlfriend/vocalist Emmylou Harris and her Hot Band, after Parsons's death in 1973. A highly demanded session player, Burton has appeared on albums by such artists as Randy Newman, Buffalo Springfield, Hoyt Axton and Judy Collins. ~ Craig Harris, All Music Guide