Welcome to my web-site.  As it builds, you can look forward to viewing more eye candy and hearing more ear candy featuring unique tastes of original tunes as well as some new twists on the classics.  My friends and I will be embarking upon some fine musical adventures!  There will be demos, masters, stories, news, photos and links to go to.  What you are hearing now, are some demos to give you a taste of how I like my music.  Some very fine tunes have been written and recorded over the past two years in Toronto, BC and California and they are coming your way -- I really like the new grooves.   More sample goodies for you . . . incoming, beginning May, 2012. So, I'm a guitar player first, then a vocalist, writer, arranger, producer and film scorer.   Cheers!  dcb

Lights, camera . . .

With the proper attitude ...

This was recorded by CBC at Kew Beach, Toronto, after I got back from an appearnace in Japan.

16 years old with drummer Bill Doidge and now Nashville songwriter Ron Demmans ... Ancaster, Ontario ... Daniel Lanois and Bob Doidge may have been in the audience.

Playing at the farm of my dear friends the Ferrettis and Steedmans ... A few years back. This is with my jam band, Billy's Hat, which includes members of CANO, Merryweather and one of my favourite guitar players, Russ Carter, from the famous historical R&B band, The Bishops, from Hamilton Ontario.

A more recent television appearance with an excellent version of my old band CANO paying tribute to our former great francophone and sometimes anglophone musical phenomenon, CANO. We recorded several albums with A&M Canada. Please see my story on CANO at this website. I recently did an interview at CBC about my musical life and my experience with this fine group of players in January of 2012.

This is The Incredible Sons of Doctor Funk. Left to right: me, Ron Knappett, Pat Sullivan and now music journalist Doug Carter.

Inset from the Incredible Sons of Doctor Funk, seriously thinking about something ...

With my late beloved dog, Katie ... Whenever I need to wet my eyes, I think about this amazing puppy!

This is the fabulous Fraser Loveman Group. Fraser is still a master of the musical archives going back to the beginning of recorded music. He once did an amazing dance called the "Vibration" that nobody else in the world has been able to do, as far as I know. We are due for a reunion. Left to right, back to front: John Ord, me. Pat Sullivan, Doug Carter, Fraser Loveman, Ron Knappett.

I've got my foot hanging over the "O". My first real professional band. They lent me a Gibson Les Paul Junior guitar to play on that is now probably worth $20,000 ... Where is that guitar now? Left to right: Barry Stoltz. Ron Demmans, Bill Doidge, me, Edd Taylor. A serious rock and R&B band.

Roots of All Evil: Can you figure out who we are from the photo of us sittin on our touring van?

Proposed postage stamp for Canada Post?

Inset from The Roots of All Evil: Me at 16. Judging by the position of my right and left hands, I think I am playing "Bo Diddley" in the nasty key of "E" ... a favourtie key for guitar players because it seriously rocks!

This is CANO: Left to right: Marcel Aymar, Mike Dasti, Dave Burt, André Paiement, Rachel Paiement (front) Wasyl Kohut (front), Mike Kendel (back), John Doerr. We emerged from a Francophone Canadian theatre company ~ The band is now referred to as being mystical. Yes, indeed!

From left to right: Neil Merryweather, Ed Roth, Dave Burt, Jimmy Livingston, Coffi Hall. My fantastic 1968 wonder band ~ Merryweather, once known as Heather Merryweather named after June Nelson's epic poem. Neil and I will be back in the studio together after a slightly long hiatus. Neil is superlative artist creating wonderful paintings, photos, music, lyrics. His work continues to inspire me in the visual arts as well as the musical arts ~ a perfect example of inspired craftsmanship! Ed Roth's unique musical inventions make me crazy to play better than I thought I could yesterday. He brings out the cinema in the sound-scape and so much more We all fought like family sometimes, but I love this band.

From left to right: Coffi Hall, Ron Johnson, Dave Burt, Ed Roth, Rick James. Super funky band in the pre Super Freak years. We did Swahili chants and superlative arrangements on tunes like Blackbird. When Ron hit the bass, my playing would warp into funk. Rick was notorious for raising the roof and creating the unexpected just when everyone thought we could relax for a few minutes. This band scared me many times because of the unpredictable consequences of freedom on stage. Although I needed antacids on many occassions, Rick was a solid mentor to me in many ways. We shared a band house for a year in Encino and Rick would often bring out the conga and create magic with the African drum and the chant of the storytelling Griot.

Sound check for CANO in Aylmer, summer concert, July / 2010. John Doerr on bass trains his ear on Mike Dasti's drum sounds. I am enjoying my new Celestian Gold speaker in the Deluxe amp. The actual show was a blast and we had an encore of amazing fireworks. That's what summer is all about methinks!

Host Your Own Show on JAZZ.FM91 . . . I've been told I have a good face for radio . . that's a fine guitar player and radio man standing ~ Danny Marks. I'm scaring them by pretending to reach for the buttons. No matter how I did as a radio host, the music is timeless ~ Stay tuned to the tunes . . . maybe one day Jazz FM 91 will play this again. For sure, you can look forward to hearing some of my favourite tunes on that very show at this very site.

This is the year that I am going to record and assemble that first personal CD that my friends have been urging me to do.  Some fine guest artists are ready to join in on the sessions.  The new project will have everything from formidable guitar pals, soulful singers, and a broad diversity of familiar and exotic instrumentation.  I will be travelling to some different parts of the globe to record in person as well as doing a little recording across cyberspace. 

The music will include a kind of cinematic blues with lots of harmonic colours, diversions and surprises.  The musical adventure / joyride is one of my favourite mediums.  Along with the original content, there will be some interesting variations on a selection of the classics while keeping the original heart of the tunes intact.

The aim is to please everybody's senses, keep the toes tapping and delight the imagination.  The performances of the special guests will reflect the depths of their musical characters.  This project should be on the mixing board in September.  As we move along, you will hear demos, and samples of tunes as they come into fruition. 

Links to fellow artists' web sites and other mediums will be added as the project continues. 

Cheers!   dcb

• • • Mike
    • Lavigne, s t
    • May 10, 2012 @ 9:03 PM

  • Dasti...

• • • Mike
    • Lavigne
    • May 10, 2012 @ 9:00 PM

  • Dave! How the fuk are ya? How can I get a hold of Mike? : )

• • • patricia clegg
    • denton manchester ,england
    • Nov 16, 2011 @ 7:27 AM

  • well david I found you, will enjoy listening and reading all about you, best wishes ,trish x

• • • Isabel Marcela Ramirez
    • Cali, Colombia, Sur America
    • Nov 14, 2011 @ 9:39 PM

  • Love your web site!!! Love your music!!! Cheers my friend!!!

• • • Lynne (Cavanagh/Demmans) Palmer
    • St Catharines Ontario
    • Nov 14, 2011 @ 4:18 PM

  • Hey Dave! Listening to this is like a little piece of heaven! Thanks for taking the time.....AND I'm so excited to hear about your upcoming CD - It's mid-November - can you tell me when it will be available and how I can get a copy? Hugs & kisses. Love, Lynne

• • • Richard
    • Toronto
    • Nov 6, 2011 @ 9:01 AM

  • Awesome site.

    I remember Cano fondly from the early days in Sudbury. Your playing influenced all of us guitar players who heard you at that time. It sounds like you haven't lost your touch.

    Thanks Richard

• • • Jimmy Co Cain
    • Mississippi
    • Sep 28, 2011 @ 4:39 PM

  • You were great on the Word of Mouth album.

• • • Poosie and Byro
    • Ottawa
    • Jul 19, 2011 @ 8:27 AM

  • Ola Dave Great site! We wish you mucho mucho fun and success!You still have that fire & soul in those magic fingers!Can't wait to hear the new CD!! muggs and kisses!

• • • Major Nourhaghighi
    • Toronto
    • Jun 11, 2011 @ 6:15 PM

  • Hi Dave, I really enjoy your music in particular those solos are very relaxing and they are best music during reading & relaxing see at Gym, you are doing well in Gym too HA HA

• • • Jean Storring
    • Bradford ON
    • Jun 9, 2011 @ 9:03 AM

  • Hi Dave: Decided to check out your website and I`m so glad I did. This is so well put together and filled with lots of great info and truly soulful music. The tunes that you posted are beautifully done. The pics are amazing and especially the old ones of you and Cano. I will most definately come back again and again. Congrats

January 2, 2012:

Brief Bio ...

After a 3 month lull in writing while setting up my recording studio, I am back at the musical writer and producer's workbench.  

So far, I have not written a biography for this site, so here we go with a brief one -- from then to now ...

When I was a kid, I could not get music out of my head -- I could hear an unwritten orchestratral symphony jamming away in my imagination as soon as I could play with toys.  My mother was a fine musician, storyteller and visual artist and probably my main inspiration -- She always put on some soft classical music at night to lull me to sleep.  My father was a tough Scottish immigrant who sang in the Hamilton Dofasco Choir.  My grandfather on my mom's side was a well known violinist and band leader in the BC interior but he was killed by gunfire at a young age and his death remains controversial to this day.  My grandfather on my dad's side was a tough professional fighter, I was told, and checker champ.  My grandmothers on both sides were generous and loving.  

I got into live musical performance and production when I was 11 years old when my mother took me off the basement piano and allowed me to play the guitar when my hands were strong enough.  I started playing music with a few friends at many of the weekend parties.  I played my first professional show when I was 15, the same day JFK was assassinated ... a strange and warped experience!  

I worked with wonderfully talented groups in Hamilton and around the Horseshoe (arching around the western tip of Lake Ontario) such as The Roots of All Evil, The Incredible Sons of Doctor Funk, and The Fraser Loveman Group.  

Later on, in Los Angeles I worked and recorded with Merryweather (with Neil Merryweather), Salt and Pepper (with Rick James), and some well established artists such as Dave Mason, Charlie Musselwhite, Big Joe Turner and members of the Quincy Jones Orchestra.  

When I returned to Canada, I worked within various musical genres with Dallas Harms, Morgan, Andre Paiement, Robert Paquette, CANO, Kenny King, Carmen Westfall, Green River, Bayou Boys, Son Roberts Blues Band, and my own groups called The Last Dash for Cash Band and Billy's Hat ... There are so many fine players ... more on this later ...   

Now I am writing and recording my inaugural CD ... my first personal collection of tunes ... Assembling this project is exciting, to say the least!  

Over the years, I have directed, arranged, written and produced some theatrical and cinematic scores and have received some nominations for awards, including the Golden Reel Award; but, so far, no wins but lots of musical adventure, which I enjoy.

So, for what it is worth, especially for my friends, and the emerging young talents in my extended family, the first project will be autobiographical and hopefully humorous in many ways and the musical roster includes old friends and new faces -- some well known, some obscure to the public attention.  The second project will involve travelling to various countries and cultures, meeting new players, and recording whatever musical magic crosses my path.  As for a third project ... we are all aware that surprises forever abound ... especially in this, our Global Village.
    
Cheers.

David Colin Burt
(aka Dave) 

      

 JAZZ FM 91:  Host Your Own Show, David Colin Burt
       with Danny Marks, recorded August 31 / 2010

1) Neil Merryweather:  "Take it from Me": 2:48 / original
    demo.  Written by Neil Merryweather and Jamie Herndon,
    Earth Baby Music / BMI; Magic Hand Publishing / ASCAP.

2) CANO: "Floridarity Forever": 3:45, from "Rendezvous",
     A&M Canada, 1979, CANO and ONAC publishing.  
     Marcel and Rachel sing.  guitar solo: DC Burt

3) David C Burt: "Ode to Jack 1": 0:41 ~ Jack Weir sings.
4) David C Burt: "Ode to Jack 2": 2:55 ~ original music by DC Burt with Jani Lauzon on voice.
     From the film Documentary,  "Duncan Campbell Scott: The Poet and the Indians,"
     Directed by James Cullingham, Toronto, Canada, 1994 / 1995. 
     Music by David Colin Burt, Lifeboat Publishing / SOCAN

5)  Alan Stivell & Youssou N'Dour: "A United
     Earth": 1: 5:31, from "One World, Many Cultures",
     Putumayo World Music, 2006

6)  Morphine: "Buena": 3:20, from "Cure for Pain", RYKO,
7)  Morphine: Dawna: 0:44, from Cure for Pain, RYKO,
     1993

8) Cannonball Adderley: "Chavalah:" 3:02, from
    "Cannonball Adderley's Fiddler on the Roof", Capitol
    USA, 1964

9)  Chet Atkins and Mark Knopfler:  "The Next Time I'm
       in Town":  3:22 (using an excerpt of 1:20), from "Neck
       and Neck", Columbia, 1990, Sony Music.