Guitarism 101: the rise of young six-string slinger James Burton as told on NPR by Ed Ward

jamesBurton 2, a photo by Greg Pearson Photography on Flickr.

What were you doing when you were 16? asks Ed Ward at npr.org.

Ward reminds us what it was like for Louisianian Burton:

When he was 16, James Burton was inventing the American guitar. He'd been born in Dubberly, La., in 1939, and was apparently self-taught on his instrument. At 15, he cut a single backing local singer Carol Williams, and then one day he came up with a guitar riff that he liked. He took it to a singer from Shreveport he was touring with, and they worked out a song to use in his act. One thing led to another, and it wound up on a record called "Suzie Q," credited to Dale Hawkins, the singer.

This led to a regular gig on the Louisiana Hayride radio show, which, in turn, led to Burton's joining the band of Bob Luman, a rockabilly and country singer who made some great records, due, of course, to having a great guitarist.

Much more at npr.