American country and rock guitarist who has played with all of the greats, including Rick Nelson, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, John Denver, Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris and Elvis Costello.

Born in Louisiana, Burton played guitar from his childhood and by the age of 13 was playing guitar semi-professionally. A year later he was hired to be part of the staff band for the enormously popular Louisiana Hayride radio show in Shreveport. He played lead guitar for most of Rick Nelson's major hits between 1958 and 1965 after which Bob Dylan reportedly wanted to hire Burton for his first touring band, but Burton was under contract to the television program Shindig!

Burton moved to Los Angeles while still in his teens and made numerous recordings as a session musician. He was also guitarist with Elvis Presley's TCB Band from 1969 until Presley's death in 1977.

Burton's later career included work with Merle Haggard, Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris, among others. From 1986, he recorded and toured intermittently with Elvis Costello for about a decade.