Biography

Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Burton Gaar began his professional musical career in 1959 at the age of 16 playing bass guitar behind the legendary Louisiana bluesman Slim Harpo. Throughout the 1960's, his association with the Boogie Kings, one of the South's most R&B acts at the time, solidified his musical direction. As the 1970's dawned, although blues was no longer fashionable for any audience, Burton managed to thrive with his Stone River Band, handling all requests from doowop to R&B.
In the 1980's, he joined zydeco great Rockin' Sydney (My Toot Toot) Simien's band - a musical relationship that was to turn into a lifelong friendship. This decade also saw Burton spend five years as a writer/producer at a major studio in Houston, Texas.
The end of the decade and early 1990's brought yet another connection with a legend, as Burton performed for several years with R&B superstar Percy Sledge.
In 1995 Burton Gaar recorded his debut CD for Lanor Records "Still Singing The Blues" and during his first European tour in 1996, he recorded his second CD "One Hundred Pounds of Trouble" which was released in the spring of 1997 on the CrossCut label.

In a review of the latter, Blues Revue magazine noted it to be, ". . . one of the top 10 most listened to CD in Blue Revue offices worldwide."

Grammy Nominated Handy Winner Charlie Musselwhite recorded Gaar’s song “No” from this disc as the first cut on his Grammy nominated album, Continental Drifter. Musselwhite later chose Gaar’s song to perform while promoting his cd on the Conan O’Brian Show.

In the year 2000, Gaar released his third CD named “Mighty Long Road”. The disc, recorded in Nashville was distributed through New Orleans based Louisiana Red Hot Records.

Burton Gaar and T.C. Davis produced the project. The Mighty Long Road features the legendary, Guitarist - Jack Pearson, Harmonica man Tim Gonzalez, Organist - Johnny Neel, Guitarist - Shane Theriot and others.

Bluesman Carl Weathersby said, “Burton Gaar has it all”

The 2003 release titled - Home Of The Blues was recorded in Nashville Tennessee at Colemine Studios. Louisiana Blues Hall Of Fame artist Larry Garner was quoted:

“I am a hard man to please and I like every song on the Home Of The Blues disc.”

Charlie Musselwhite said “every tune is an A side.” (Making reference to the days of 45 r.p.m. vinyl singles when it was standard to have your best song on “side A”).

I was born in Louisiana and after all these years, I still live here. The music I write has its roots in Louisiana.
It's bluesy, funky and SPICY -
sorta like our gumbeaux!