Heroes, Friends & Other Troubled Souls

IndieMafia

Arkansas born singer/songwriter Billy Don Burns was inspired into songwriting at an early age by family friend Jimmy Driftwood ("Battle Of New Orleans" and "Tennessee Stud"), who was also his mother's schoolteacher. While serving in the US Army, Burns won a talent contest and then started performing after leaving the army and moving to California in 1970. During 1972 Wanda Jackson's steel guitar player Lynn Owsley endorsed Burns so that he was able to move into the musician's boarding house in Nashville. By 73 Billy Don Burns was portraying Hank Williams at Opryland and soon saw his songs being cut by the likes of country music legends Connie Smith and Mel Tillis. Soon after Burns was opening for the likes of Boots Randolph and Ronnie Prophet. By 1983 he had made a name for himself through his touring that the then Arkansas governor Bill Clinton proclaimed March 27th Billy Don Burns Day.

Unfortunately by the 1990's life turned decidedly darker for Burns when he became more and more involved in drugs, which overtook his life and interfered with his musical career. Billy Don continued touring and working with other artistes on various projects and in the mid-90's things looked up as artistes of the calibre of Willie Nelson and Sammy Kershaw began recording his songs. Billy Don Burns debut album Long Lost Highway in 1995 was a critical, if not commercial success, but in 1996 Billy Don Burns along with his frequent co-writing partner Hank Cochran hit the top of the Americana music charts with "Desperate Man", unseating Johnny Cash's "Unchained" from the #1 spot in 1997 and Johnny Cash faxed Burns a hand written note congratulating him on his success.

Billy Don Burns pays tribute to the Man In Black on Heroes, Friends & Other Troubled Souls with a cover of Cash's 1957 hit "Give My Love To Rose". The killer opening track "Mississippi" from the writing partnership of Billy Don and Hank Cochran sees Burns friend Tanya Tucker guesting on vocals and later Willie Nelson and Hank Cochran join Burns on "Patsy". The number is a wonderful tribute to the memory of one of country music's finest female singers…Patsy Cline. Following on with the banjo and harmonica driven, "Keith Whitley Blues", Burns pays tribute to another of our great country singers who has tragically passed on

With the effective use of mandolin and banjo, we are treated to 14 turbulent numbers on Heroes, Friends & Other Troubled Souls; with the final track "Tired & Troubled Soldiers" recurring as a Radio Edit. The emotional weight of lyrics contained here cuts through the fog of modern country music to move you more deeply as it pushes the envelope of stories that lurk in the dark hollers and shadows of modern day life, creating a significant album of depth and feeling.