ArklaTex by Shelby Lawrence, 8/20/2014
http://www.arklatexhomepage.com/stor...ukq8l2eDUEirdQ
The secret is out! Vince Gill, multi-award winning country singer-songwriter-instrumentalist, will perform as a special guest at the James Burton International Guitar Festival scheduled for this weekend.
More than 20 internationally-renown musicians will gather to pay tribute to Shreveport native and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member, James Burton. Long known as the "Master of the Telecaster," Burton will join some of the music industry's best in a James Burton & Friends Concert at the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium on Saturday, August 23 at 7:30pm, to celebrate Burton's 75th birthday and 62nd year in the music industry.
The concert is the centerpiece of this year's Festival. The evening's festivities will begin at 5:30 with an unveiling of the newly-reinstalled statues of James Burton and Elvis Presley. Positioned near the entrance of the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium, the statue of Elvis will be unveiled by his former wife, Priscilla Presley, and Burton will unveil his statue. For the concert, the line-up of performers is exciting and may be the only event of its kind in the world that brings musicians of such renown together in one unique venue. Trace Adkins, Paul Shaffer, Doyle Dykes, Noel Haggard, Ann Wilson of Heart,
Fleetwood Mac's Billy Burnette and Rick Vito, Richie Furay of Buffalo Springfield, Gunnar Nelson, Lee Rocker of The Stray Cats, Jimmie Vaughn, contemporary Christian artist Lincoln Brewster, The Vosburys and many more. Tickets are $32, $42, and $102 and are available at The CenturyLink Center box office, all Ticket Master locations or on line at ticketmaster.com and by phone at 800-745-3000. If still available, tickets can be purchased at the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium on the day of the show. Tickets to a VIP Reception where concertgoers can mingle with the stars are also available. Call 318-424-5000 for more information.
Friday and Saturday 8/22 - 8/23, the public can enjoy several free events in the Red River District: Friday, 5:00pm -12:00 Midnight, Burton's birthday celebration Saturday, 11:00am - 5:00pm, classic car show and live music featuring top-ranked regional bands, plus Guitar Competition for elementary, middle, and high school students.
Closing the Festival on Sunday, 8/24 will be the Guitars For Good Concert at the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium, at 6:00pm. Sponsored by the James Burton Foundation and The Simple Church, it will feature Burton and award-wining contemporary Christian recording artist Lincoln Brewster. The concert is free, but a ticket is required.
Monies raised from this weekend event will be used to fund the James Burton Foundation. This non-profit organization provides guitars and instructions to school children locally and throughout the nation. Recognizing that music can be therapeutic, there is a special emphasis this year on providing guitars and instruction, if needed, to wounded warriors and their children.
For more information regarding the James Burton International Guitar Festival, call 318-424-5000 or
www.jamesburtonfest.com