Interview with David Allen Burns
by Christian Lamitschka for Country Music News International Magazine & Radio Show
Christian Lamitschka: I’m Christian Lamitschka and today I present you David Allen Burns. David, welcome to the show.
David Allen Burns: Thanks for having me.
Christian Lamitschka: David, you’re well known here in the US, but maybe Europe might be hearing of you for the first time; please introduce yourself and the music you’re playing to them.
David Allen Burns: Yes, I’m David Allen Burns, I grew up in a small town called Sherwood, Arkansas. My folks took me to see George Straight when I was three years old. Some reason, right then and there, I said that’s what I want to do. I started playing at nursing homes and anything I could in my hometown shows. Went on a high school bands and clubs. I pretty much grew in honky tonks, I guess at 16. I made a venture to Nashville back in 2007, signed my record deal, now we’re pushing my first single in country radio.
Christian Lamitschka: You have a bran new album called “Premium Country”. It’s an unbelievable great album. There are no numbers on the back, so how many songs are there?
David Allen Burns: There’s 14 songs on. My first record was a box set, apparently.
Christian Lamitschka: Tell us something about the songs please.
David Allen Burns: I wrote 10 out of the 14. The first one is called “Sweet Distraction”. Josh Thompson, I’m sure you heard of him, wrote it. It’s the kinda country I grew up on. I was a 90s baby and I grew up with Mark Chestnut, Keith Whitley, and George Straight. It’s just kind of my version on a lot of that kind of stuff. If I was going to buy a record, that’s the kind of stuff I want to hear.
Christian Lamitschka: Of all these songs, which is your favorite?
David Allen Burns: Actually my favorite on it (CD) is called “More Afraid To Live”.
Christian Lamitschka: What’s the story behind it?
David Allen Burns: One of my great friends and one of my great song writing mentor, Rick Tiger wrote it. I just like that crying steel guitar, crying. That slow stuff, I’m sucker for it. It’s just a powerful song It’s very well written, it’s just a guy going thru a break-up and that really really down point, and the more afraid to live than dying. If you ever been there, you know what it’s talking about.
Christian Lamitschka: By the experience you made with all the major stars in the past, is there a story you can share?
David Allen Burns: As far as the record you Mean.
Christian Lamitschka: Yes.
David Allen Burns: There is one called “Any Other Way”, I co-wrote and when you live in Nashville, you write every day with these big guys, you kind of held to a standard of writing. You try to find clever lines, or some markability thing. So like I said, I grew up in a small town, kinda old school raised with a real close family. So went to writing and one day, I just want to write something for me. One line in there is ‘we don’t call a truck a truck, unless it’s four wheel drive; food ain’t food if it ain’t fried’. That’s pretty much how was raised in Arkansas. That song really hits home to me.
Christian Lamitschka ( Ch.Lamitschka@t-online.de )