James Burton is the quintessential sideman. The virtuoso electric guitarist's legacy spans more than half a century, and encompasses stints behind many of the most celebrated artists of the rock and roll era, including Elvis Presley, Ricky Nelson, Merle Haggard, Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris. While Burton spent the vast majority of his career 20 feet from stardom, he stepped out of the shadows long enough to record a 1971 solo album for A&M Records, highlighted by an incendiary performance of Tony Joe White's "Polk Salad Annie" that was later plucked from obscurity by filmmaker Michael Mann and featured on the soundtrack of his 2019 auto racing drama Ford v Ferrari.
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Editor's note: Although this version of "Polk Salad Annie" is an instrumental, we've included Tony Joe White's iconic lyrics from his original version.
