Billy Don Burns Summer Tour Dates

Billy Don Burns Tour Dates! BDB is open for booking! Contact him on Facebook or email directly  at catiedo52@gmail.com 

6/10 House Concert for John Bowers - Fayetteville, Arkansas / Richard Burnett Sun
6/11 Jimmy Driftwood Tribute Concert - Mountain View, AR. / Tim Crouch, Pam Setser, Josh Morningstar and The Tallent Brothers
7/1 House Concert for Jim Ross - Mountain View, Arkansa
7/6 Friends of Camilla's Acoustic Gazebo Sessions Nashville, Tennessee
7/8 Castle Bridge Event Center, St.Joseph, MO. / Josh Morningstar 
7/21-22 Lincoln Caverns - Huntingdon, PA. / Josh Morningstar 
7/23 Silver Maple House - New Eagle, PA 
7/28 Ruckus in the Boonies - Heppner, OR. / Urban Pioneers / Husky Burnette, and many others
7/30 The Volcanic Theater Pub - Bend, Oregon Mon,
7/31 Down Town Ale House - Red Bluff, California Tues
8/1 House Concert / Sheana Davis - Sonoma, California Thurs
8/3 The Waterwheel Pizza Saloon - Sonora, California / JonEmery Dodds
8/5 House Concert / Angel Dean - Sacramento, California 
8/8 House Concert / Dennis Yellowhorse Jones - Paradise Valley, Arizona
8/9 Radio Interview on Dennis Yellowhorse Jones show "The Real Deal" - Phoenix, Arizona
8/10 Roosters - Mesa, Arizona 
8/12 The Lumberyard - Roscoe, Texas / Dale Watson, Dallas Moore, Josh Morningstar, Sarah Gayle Meech, Richie Allbright
8/19 Benefit Concert for cancer victim Dwayne Newman - Mountain View, Arkansas
8 25 "The Bakersfield Gig" - Bakersfield, CA 
9/2 Chuck Reeves BBQ - Mountain View, Arkansas
9/23 Checkered Flag - Indiannpolis, Indiana

Billy Don Burns Set To Release Brand New Album - Graveyard In Montgomery

• • • Every CD order will put you in the drawing to win the original art for the album cover. This only lasts for two weeks, up until the release of the album on Dec. 16th 2016. To be eligible, pre-order now. If you order one cd, its one entry. Two cd's equals two entries, etc. This does not apply to buying digital downloads though. The drawing for the winner will be held after the weekend Dec. 16th. • • •

Order your copy now

"I was on my way to do some gigs in Alabama and Florida, heading down I-65 through Montgomery. Once again I was telling myself, “Don’t stop at Hank’s grave.” After so many trips there over the years, I had the itch to stop in once again. Twenty times, at a minimum is how many times I have walked into that graveyard. While driving, I keep telling myself, “Don’t stop, This is crazy.” Then before I could even change my mind, I rolled right on into Montgomery, made the turn and there I sat in front of his grave.

New Album Art For Billy Don Burns - Graveyard In Montgomery

New Album Art For Billy Don Burns - Graveyard In Montgomery

Would like to say thank you to everyone who has really dug this illustration for Billy Don Burns new album cover, Graveyard In Montgomery and all the shares. We thought on it and realized that maybe we should give away the original art for the album as a way to say thank you to the fans for sticking by him through thick and thin. So this Friday, once we announce the pre-sale, every physical album order sold through our webstore will be entered into a drawing to win the original pen and ink sketch. Sure you can wait to stream it for free on Youtube or Spotify, but if you want something to live on past your next Appleoid Omega malfunction, purchase the album and maybe this art along with BD's story about his travels to that infamous graveyard and much more can potentially hang on your wall and reverberate from your speakers for years to come.

Billy Don Burns - Willie - Live At Capital City, Bar and Grill In Springfield, Illinois

BCR LA is proud to present, the 37th release from Black Country Rock, Billy Don Burns "A Night in Room 8"

BCR LA is proud to present, the 37th release from Black Country Rock, Billy Don Burns "A Night in Room 8"

  "Billy Don Burns came up with the best. The minute he hit Nashville he was collaborating with Harlan Howard, Willie Nelson, Wanda Jackson and writing hit songs for Connie Smith and others. Considered a friend to the greats in country music, Billy Don has always been one of those rare songwriters who shined in the Dylan/Kristofferson light of honesty and grit. 

Billy Don Burns has danced on the razor's edge of between literary prophecy and addiction with turns on the run, in rehab and in jail, but in the last year Billy Don has turned it all around and turned a new page of his life.

Billy Don Burns Performs Live On WHAS 11 In Lousiville, Kentucky

Aaron Rodgers Is One Of The Best Sound Engineers Anywhere To Be Found

Aaron Rodgers Is One Of The Best Sound Engineers Anywhere To Be Found

A few years back we were able to put out an amazing album, that is still being discovered by many far and wide. This album is filled with adventure, motorcycles, good times and all penned by one of the most standup folks I know, none other than Billy Don Burns. Another part of the tale that most folks rarely hear about is one of the players and engineers, that is a quiet man behind the scenes. This impresario is none other than Aaron Rodgers. His guitar work is above and beyond, along with his mastery behind the knobs of the recording console. If you really want to get to work and have a great recording that will stand the test of time and reach the upper echelons of recognition, here is all the proof that you need. Congrats to both of yall for being hombres and true professionals. 

Rusty Knuckles Provides the Perfect Harmonic Balance To Your Life

Rusty Knuckles Provides the Perfect Harmonic Balance To Your Life

Looking for the exact Harmonic Balancer to make things run smooth? Look no further. We got ya covered. Updated shirt design about to hit the press. 

Billy Don Burns and Shooter Jennings, Paint An Epic Picture

Billy Don Burns and Shooter Jennings

Billy Don Burns and Shooter Jennings, paint an epic picture. Thanks to the great eye behind the lens of the camera, Kerry Langford.

Rory Kelly, Billy Don Burns and Shooter Jennings Talkin' Shop

Rory Kelly, Billy Don Burns and Shooter Jennings talkin' shop

With Rory Kelly, Billy Don Burns and Shooter Jennings talkin' shop, why not hit a three track jam from them and get in the know...

That Time When Billy Don Burns and Billy Joe Shaver Sat Down For A Conversation

Billy Don Burns and Billy Joe Shaver talking for the BDB documentary currently being filmed

A few weeks back we were able to sit down with Billy Don Burns and Billy Joe Shaver for a quick chat for the BDB documentary. Can't tell yall how thrilled we are with the amount of folks asking to go on record and sing praises about Billy Don Burns. True character will always shine through and watching these two chat was akin to watching a great novel unfold. 

Billy Don Burns on Facebook

Burns Bluff Live Show Documentary

 

Billy Don Burns and Buck Thrailkill making a fire in the rock house deep in the Ozark Mountains

These pic doesn't quite capture what we have up our sleeves, but what you are looking at is the location where we will be filming a live show for streaming digital download and downloadable film this fall at "Burns Bluff". We have a short list of musicians that will be a part of it and have a film and recording crew at the ready. This will be part of a new series we are going to do annually for filming and recording, to use the natural acoustics of this great location.

Buck Thrailkill hanging out in the location for the Burns Bluff music series we will be filming this fall

Billy Don Burns And The Song - Motel Madness

Billy Don Burns and Aaron Rodgers doing what they do best

Billy Don Burns never fails to write a song that feels like an old best friend. Do yourself a favor and check out more of his material on his latest album, Nights When I'm Sober... Portrait Of A Honky Tonk Singer.

Purchase Billy Don Burns latest album

Van Sessions - Billy Don Burns and Another 8 Ball Story

Billy Don Burns tells it like it is in the first episode of Van Sessions

Billy Don Burns decided to divulge one of his many interesting stories on a warm summer day while driving around in the shop van. This Van Sessions has Billy Don speaking about the trials and tribulations of having a fatal attraction and not losing an 8 ball of cocaine.

Pick up Billy Don Burns newest album

Billy Don Burns - Born To Ride - Mashup Video

Underground country music icon Billy Don Burns wanted a tshirt design that reflected his love of all things motorcycles andas a the true grit character that he is. We were able to work up an illustration from a photo shoot to capture Billy Don in a way that is uniquely him. With a guitar slung over his shoulder, saddled up on his 1993 1200 Sportster and trademark sunglasses, this pure Billy Don Burns. Do yourself a favor and Support Real Country Music and from one of the real living legends that has lived his music and been cranking out tunes for quite a few decades.

Check out the video below of the illustration coming together, with a mash up video featuring Billy Don's song Born to Ride and the classic film Easy Rider.

Order the brand new Billy Don Burns tshirt

 

Some of the process photos for the illustration: 

Finished illustration with arrowheads given to me from Billy Don

Two of the last illustrations completed. The new one for Billy Don and the Snake Charmer design fro Hellbound Glory

Staring to work in the details with the Sharpie

Billy Don Burns coming to life through pencil

The Continuing Saga Of Leroy Virgil's Guitar

Earlier this year, we posted up a batch of photos in which Leroy Virgil of Hellbound Glory, just so happened to leave his guitar behind at the Shore Road Tavern in Philadelphia. Since it stayed back in Philly, every single band rollin' through the place has had a chance to play it, while staying in the apartment upstairs. Leave it Mike Fiedler to never miss a great opportunity to make something cool happen. 

Check out the first batch of photos

Here is round two of the photos.

Awesome Bill Dorsey striking a chord

Billy Don Burns and Leroy Virgil's guitar

Brad Carr of Cutthroat Shamrock and Leroy Virgil's guitar

Brook Blanche of the Calamity Cubes

Brownbird Rudy Relic

Dave Dufrane of the Spastiks, NYC

Derek McRotten of Cutthroat Shamrock and Leroy Virgil's guitar

Dusty Rust of Johnny Outlaw and the Johnson Creek Stranglers

Henry Berger of S.S. Web

Jesse Roderick of Filthy Still

Kody Oh of the Calamity Cubes

Luca Fiorini of the The Spastiks, NYC

Marcus Bunch of Cutthroat Shamrock

Matt Olson of Filthy Still

Mighty Junior of Yankee Cockfight

Olds Sleeper

Orb Mellon strumming Leroy Virgil's guitar

Scrimmy Boucher of Yankee Cockfight

Sean Secor of Tex Railer's Boomtown

Saint Christopher

Tim Gagne of the Spastiks, NYC

Tim V. of Tex Railers Doomtown

Billy Don Burns Audio Interview

Interview with Billy Don Burns from a show in South Carolina, by Jason Mater Robinson of Outlaw Magazine.

Billy Don Burns Feature Write Up In The Hearld Mail

Billy Don Burns in the center flanked by J.B. Beverley and Buck Thrailkill - photo by Lance Dawes

Order your copy of Billy Don Burns album on cd

Download Billy Don Burns from Itunes

Link over to the Hearld-Mail

"Singer-songwriter Billy Don Burns is a man whose name is synonymous with the country music “Outlaw” movement — but to only the truest of diehard fans.

Unlike his cohorts — Johnny Paycheck, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and the like — Burns’ career has mostly been known to those who first discovered him through his songwriting before listening to his distinctive velvety voice with gruff overtones.

But it seems at age 64, Burns is finally getting recognized for his work, as a younger generation is discovering the outlaws’ music for the first time.

Those who want to discover Burns’ music can do so at two gigs this weekend — Friday, Sept. 6, at The Unique Bar & Grill in Blue Ridge Summit, Pa., and Saturday night, Sept. 7, at Bentz Street Sports Bar in Frederick, Md.

Opening for him will be Hagerstown’s Joshua Morningstar, who Burns predicts will be in the business for a longtime because “he’s a hard worker, talented and a nice kid.”

Born in Arkansas, Burns said music for him started like it did for many country music singers.

“I started out in church like a lot of country boys did, and graduated to honky tonks,” Burns said while on the road from Chattanooga, Tenn., to Little Rock, Ark. “And never got out of it, you know. It’s been good to me really. Not easy but good.”

But music wouldn’t become a career until he was in the Army and was in a talent show in front of an audience of 3,000. One of the judges was Don Grady from “My Three Sons,” who presented him with the trophy.

“I was shocked that I won,” he said. “It was a big deal to me.”

He moved to California in 1970, about the time he decided to become serious about songwriting. A year later, Haggard published a couple of Burns’ songs. By the time he got his “first cut” by Connie Smith, “Be All Right in Arkansas” in 1973 for Columbia Records, Burns had moved to Nashville, Tenn.

But he didn’t feel like he made it until Willie Nelson cut one of his songs in 1991.

“That’s when I realized it was the right way to go,” he said.

Burns said the respect alone of having Nelson cut one of his songs, “(I Don’t Have a Reason) to Go to California Anymore,” was enough to catapult his career. The song appeared on Nelson’s last album for Sony Records, “Born for Trouble,” and was poorly marketed.

Burns said at the time he and his friend, Jerry Laseter, were seeing success in their songwriting careers. Laseter, though, had penned the No. 1 hit “Down on the Farm” for Tim McGraw.

Laseter had asked Burns one day to take him to the airport, with the deal that Burns keep Laseter’s brand-new Jaguar for the weekend — as long as Burns picked him up on Monday. Burns agreed.

But before he left, he said they had a exchange. Laseter wanted to know what it was like to have a Willie Nelson song. But Burns wanted to know what it was like to have a No. 1 song.

“‘Aw, it’s great,’” Burns remembers Laseter telling him. “‘It ain’t no Willie cut, though.’ Saying that a Willie cut will give you more respect than you had before.”

Although Burns has penned hundreds of songs, he never wrote a song for his buddy, the late Waylon Jennings.

“I never played Waylon my songs. When I used to hang around him, everybody was a fan of his. (Kris) Kristofferson, Harlan Howard, Jack Clement — they were these greats (songwriters) hanging around pitching their songs. I didn’t have the confidence in those days.”"

Billy Don Burns featured in the Hearld Mail from Hagerstown, MD

Death To False Country Sings Billy Don Burns Praises

Billy Don Burns photo by Lance Dawes © Rusty Knuckles Music 2013

Billy Don Burns has been in the country music trenches for 40+ years now and there are no signs of a slow down. His career has hit peaks and valleys over it's long trajectory, but one element that burns bright, is the breadth of Billy Don's storytelling.  

All sorts of folks can put a pen to paper and gather ideas for a song. But how many can make you feel as if you are part of the narrative? Seeing ol' BD getting a steady stream of recognition is a testament to his work ethic and never say die attitude. He has done something above and beyond which puts him in a league all his own. Billy Don has been honest with himself and his past, by being the fabric of the stories he weaves seamlessly into each song.
 
Honesty trumps being an outlaw any day of the week, for he is the writer and he is the song...


Check out the post on Death To False Country Radio

"Country music's wheel of fortune has a way of reversing its course when one least expects it. Sometimes the turn of the wheel manifests into stardom, but more often it comes to rest in obscurity as new and younger artists prevail (at least for the time being). It's one hell of a ride, if your bones (and spirit) aren't crushed under the weight. Billy Don Burn's has never traveled a smooth path, or a straight trajectory, but after 40 years in the business, he's still standing.

One of the countless songwriters to descend on Nashville in the early 1970s, Burns was one of the chosen few to have his songs picked up, penning tunes for Mel Tillis and Connie Smith, allowing him to quit his day job of performing as Hank Williams at Opryland. A few recordings surfaced, but stardom remained elusive (despite having fellow Arkie Bill Clinton dedicate March 27th as "Billy Don Burns Day" in Arkansas during his governorship in 1983).

After touring through much of the 80's, he began an album project with then inmate Johnny Paycheck, which never materialized. The 90's witnessed his unlikely resurgence, with a collaboration with legendary songwriter Hank Cochran, Desperate Men, in 1995.  His career slowly began to gather momentum again as he released A Train Called Lonesome in 2002,  Heroes, Friends, & Other Troubled Souls (featuring contributions from Willie Nelson and Tanya Tucker) and Sammy Kershaw recorded his "Honky Tonk Boots" in 2006. 

Once again, however, the wheel stopped turning and little was heard from him until upstart record label Rusty Knuckles had the good sense to issue Nights When I'm Sober: Portrait of a Honky Tonk Singer in 2012, introducing him to a new generation of underground Country enthusiasts. Portrait of a Honky Tonk Singer may be his best and most cohesive work to date, and has succeeded in getting this Outlaw legend back on the road. Only time will tell when the wheel will stop spinning again, or if it will keep rolling and create a revolution in its wake. Sometimes its best to be thankful for the here and now, and thanks are definitely in order to the divine guidance that has appointed Billy Don Burns the present's top troubadour."

Billy Don Burns, photo by Lance Dawes © Rusty Knuckles Music 2013

Death To False Country, with a feature write up on Billy Don Burns

Billy Don Burns Feature Write Up On No Depression

Billy Don Burns latest album, "Nights When I'm Sober..."

Check out the write up on No Depression 

Do yourself a favor and download his albums on Itunes

 

"I met Billy Don Burns tonight for the first time and got to see him preform with  banjo picker Buck Thrailkill. The word was he had broke his collar bone and in a sling. His partner Aaron Rodgers had a gig in Nashville and couldn't make it back to his home state of South Carolina. Upon entering I noticed Billy Don was smoking a cigarette close to the door and introduced myself to a guy who's lyrics I respected the hell out of. I asked him how he was feeling and was he able to play the guitar and with any hesitation he shook his head after a drag from his smoke and proclaimed "Hell yeah man ". It didn't take too much longer in the conversation we had in front of the venue while it drizzled rain I knew we the same limited edition assembly line. Some one brought a menu to Burns and he didn't even look at and says "Ahh just get me a Cheeseburger!" to the legendary songwriter learning they didn't have that on the menu. "Just get me whatever your having" and he handed the menu away giving me the thought he isn't a picky eater. We talked about 15 minutes of small talk before he had to get on stage. Southern Culture seem to be a ungiue place to play and the food looked top-notch and smelled like Dixie. The stage was beautiful set up with two chairs with a guitar on one side and a banjo on the other.

"If It all ended tomorrow and I am dead and gone I will have no regrets for I got to do what I love and meet and work with my heroes" proclaim Billy Don.

I felt he was telling the truth for I felt the energy drain off him like rain flows down a storm drain. He told me stories of how well Mexico would pay him to play, or how good of a boy Aaron Rodgers was and his dad owned a John Deer dealership, and about that time he sold his best guitar. The set was short but honest songwriting to I saw a select few actually got it. I was proud to know that I got it what was going on right in front of my eyes and I may never see the likes of it every again and soaked it up  as much as I could. One of my favorite Billy Don Burns song is Is he the Writer . The narrative is about a guy who sits down to write soon sits down to write a song and the song ends up becoming him in spirit. Its pure genius and I began to wonder why he doesn't he have the respected he has earned. 

He is quite charming and once you know him your never a stranger and thru out the night I keep hearing "Come over here with us brother" along with   "your a good boy and I am proud of you." Upon outside with another smoke break he begin to tell me tales of struggle, heartache, and following the lonesome highway. He told me of writing songs for his own sake and writing songs to help pay the rent. I realize that when this rebellious  dinosaur is gone that this era of pure songwriting  will be gone forever. No one can replace him not even the hipster guy who lives on the opposite side of the songs he sings and lives. I learned that once you get to where you think you wanna be its a lonely ass place that you keep trying to fill that void.

I have the up-most for Billy Don Burns as a human being and a songwriter. The place was packed out and a select few got it in which he was doing. I know for one I did for I felt it in the Carolina air.  Tonight I heard him laugh and carry on and it seem like how he was dealing with it all. The battle scars seem so deep yet the fight to keep on keeping on is a constant blessing and a curse. The highway is tough and tires don't always hold up but you keep going. He informed us he wasn't going to stay at local motel but he was going back home  400 miles to Arkansas as he grasp his bread and butter guitar and disappeared the rainy lonely night like a bandit.

He’s holed up one night as usual, alone 
he’d been drinkin’ and druggin’ and writing his wrongs 
there’s no more to lose, nothing to fear 
takes out his knife and cuts off his ear 
Poets like Dylan live in his brain
 is he a writer or is he insane
 he dresses in black and he goes it alone
 is the writer or is he a song

Billy Don Burns feature write up on No Depression