Arkansas-based guitarist/vocalist Michael “Iron Man” Burks, touring in support of his latest CD, IRON MAN, will perform in Fairfield on August 22, 2009 at 7:30pm at the Fairfield Theatre Company On StageOne on Sanford St.. Tickets are $22.
“A fierce, flamethrower guitar slinger and an exciting, soulful singer. His music has phenomenal power” says the the Chicago Sun-Times.
Boasting remarkable natural talent and deep-rooted soulfulness, Burks’ music is driven by an intense, blue collar work ethic that has earned him well-deserved national recognition, making him one of the blues world’s fastest-rising stars. Burks’ powerful presence, inventive and riveting guitar work and soul-shaking vocals make him the torchbearer of electric blues guitar heroes. His instantly identifiable guitar sound and his live charisma have already earned him four Blues Music Award nominations. Burks’ first Alligator release, MAKE IT RAIN, was named as one of the Top 200 greatest guitar recordings by GuitarOne magazine. In 2006, the Delta Cultural Center awarded Burks the prestigious Sonny Payne Award for Blues Excellence, presented each year to an individual or individuals who have strongly influenced blues music in Arkansas.
Michael “Iron Man” Burks earned his moniker by his hours-long, intensely physical performances, fearsome guitar attack, and tough, smoky vocals. He also earned it by the thousands of miles he personally logged behind the wheel of his touring van. Burks is a true modern blues hero. Nobody in today’s blues world successfully bridges searing electric guitar blues with unbridled rock and roll energy like Burks. The Chicago Sun-Times recently said Burks is “poised on the brink of major stardom.”
With the release of his new CD, IRON MAN, Burks is set to take his place beside the biggest names in the blues. Produced by Burks and Alligator president Bruce Iglauer and fueled by Burks’ hard-driving road band, IRON MAN (featuring seven of twelve songs written or co-written by Burks) is an electrifying slice of emotional, rocked-out blues. His fiery fretwork, gruff, fervent vocals and overwhelming intensity are captured live in the studio. The album features some of the hottest guitar playing and most soulful singing Burks has ever recorded.
Burks joined the Alligator family in 2001 and released the critically acclaimed MAKE IT RAIN. Billboard said, “Burks is a powerhouse blues guitar slinger…he blasts through licks like Clapton used to play just because he can. He is a great guitarist.”
He 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.
His next album, I SMELL SMOKE, continued his momentum. Living Blues said, “Burks’ fretwork is skin-tight yet emotionally expressive. His voice is dusky and sensual yet shot through with virility. Burks burns his signature onto almost everything he touches with aching passion and the probing intensity of his guitar. He has the ability and the imagination to fuse the best of the old and the new.” Burks received three Blues Music Award nominations for his work on the CD, including Contemporary Blues Album Of The Year and Blues Song Of The Year for the title track.
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, Australia and South America already know and appreciate the sweat and passion he pours out each night. The music on IRON MAN – forged by his unquestionable talent and fueled by the experience of years on the road – proves that electric guitar blues is alive and well in the hands of the Iron Man, Michael Burks.
