Despite having a history with some of best bluegrass players around, somehow Pat Burton became a forgotten man. Getting his start in Clinton, Illinois in 1963, Pat spent some time recording and touring with John Hartford (the guy who gave Vassar Clements his famous 200+ year old fiddle) and the Bray Brothers before finally deciding to record this album for Flying Fish Records in 1974.
The lyrics on the non-hit “Hit Song” may seem humourous, but they are much more significant when you realize that Burton had recently survived two heart attacks and open heart surgery at UCLA. I guess he decided to come off the road to record the few songs he had written on his own, in case he died before he got the chance. It is rather ironic then that he has since been forgotten. If you know bluegrass fans out there, be sure to send ‘em here, as they will not be disappointed!
We’ve Been Waiting For This would be the 5th release in the debut year of Flying Fish, but despite this fact, the album was dropped from the label in 1992 when founder Bruce Kaplan died from an ear infection and the label was sold to Rounder Records.
Musicians:
Pat Burton – vocals, fiddle
John Hartford – vocals, fiddle, banjo, slide whistle
Vassar Clements – fiddle
Harley Bray – banjo
Francis Bray – bass
Michael Melford – mandolin
Quartet on Heaven’s Light: Pat, Harley, Shela Bray, Spencer Sorenson
Track Listing:
- Hit Song
- Introduction Song
- Jane Russell No.3
- The First Whippoorwill
- Soldiers Joy
- Trying to Get You to Be My Baby
- Come Back Darling
- Slide Whistle
- Ode to Country Music
- Filipino Rose
- Jane Russell No.11
- The Older the Violin, the Sweeter the Music
- Golden Slippers
- Heaven’s Light is Shining
I am the creator and site administrator at The Basement Rug. I have been collecting LP's and CD's for more than 30 years. I
“…Pat was a buddy of mine from way back and a real character. He showed up
in about 1955 at the Bray Brothers front door as a huge bluegrass fan, while
at the same time, was singing Rock and Roll. He had the Elvis Presley leg
kick really squared away. My brother Nate and I had not seen him since 1951
in high school. He could do a really good singing impression of Hank Snow.
In 1963, Nate and I introduced him to John Hartford in Clinton, Illinois,
and they became close friends. My brother Francis and I were glad to help
him on his Flying Fish album in 1974. He was a unique, one of a kind
character, and a real cowboy, and we miss him greatly.
–Harley Bray”
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Thank you for that Harley.
Would you mind if I were to send your bio-sketch to the
http://basementrug.com/607 site – so others can learn a little about Pat?
I remember sitting with Pat in an almost empty bar in Champaign, IL late one
night (c.1966).
Pat was telling stories: One was about the epiphany he had upon first
hearing Earl Scruggs play banjo on the radio back in the 1940’s; Another was
about his frequent interaction with the Champaign PD.
BTW: any idea what became of all the other (35?) Jane Russell songs Pat
wrote that didn’t appear on his album?
Thanks again, –Rich Olson
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From: Harley Bray
Subject: Re: Pat Burton – We’ve Been Waiting For This
“…I heard Pat do some others ( Jane Russell songs) from time to time, but
don’t know what happened to them.”
I just wanted to say I was very excited to stumble on this listing for Pat Burton’s album. I’m Pat’s great niece. He was my father’s uncle. Pat passed away a few years ago, but he had some great stories, and a great musical talent.
Glad that it found you well. Do you know if Pat recorded any more albums or if he is featured on others?
I’ll have to ask my dad about that. I know we found a bunch of tapes when my grandmother (Pat’s sister) passed away that were from local gigs and informal gatherings. My uncle has those and is supposed to be converting them to disc sometime. I’m pretty sure he didn’t make any other albums, but I wouldn’t be surprised to find him on others.
I did direct my dad to this page, I’ll remind him again and he might have some more info.
If you put together any releases of Pat’s music, be sure to let me know and I will promote it here.