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In the picture below, left to right: James Burton, me, and Jeff Burton (James's son). Early in James' career he worked with famed artist Dale Hawkins and helped write the hit song "Susie Q." In fact, Richie Podolor was involved in writing the guitar riff in the song, too. Richie says that he and James used to hang out in Malibu back then and they worked on it together. The guitar work in that song has permeated rock & roll in countless ways throughout the years. James was a major influence in rock and roll as it is known today, and for his appearances in the '50s and '60s television show, "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet." Their son, Rick Nelson, was a teen rock idol and played on the show frequently. His dad, Ozzie, had been a band leader himself in the old days and had seen James play at a fair in Texas. He wisely recommended to Ricky that he try and hire him for his band. James Burton was the tall, lanky, Telecaster-playing guitarist in the band on all those TV shows as well as on all of Rick's hit records. Early hits included "Lonesome Town," "Hello Mary Lou," "Travelin' man," and many more. James went on to play and record with Elvis Presley during Elvis's Las Vegas years in the late '60s and early '70s. Some of the hit tunes with Elvis included "The Wonder Of You," and "Burning Love." As well as his hit recordings, James is famous in music circles from Nashville to Los Angeles as the quintessential "session" guitarist. He came to see the 3 Dog Night concert in Shreveport and then invited us to his club to jam. Great fun, and it was nice meeting his son and wife.