INTRO INTERVIEW
Aminute’s all it takes to discover what makes a great guitarist tick. Before he jumped into his limo for the airport we grabbed a chat with George Michael’s six-string sidekick who also played the Baker Street solo!
Hugh Burns has toured the world and played guitar on most of Wham’s greatest hits. His guitar playing features on hundreds of renowned and famous songs, and he has worked with the cream of rock and roll royalty including the Jack Bruce Band, five albums with Gerry Rafferty (including the solo on Baker Street), Scott Walker, Joan Armatrading, George Michael, Paul McCartney, Randy Crawford, Johnny Nash, and Billy Joel, to name just a few. Hugh has also played on numerous film scores including Moulin Rouge, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, Twelve Monkeys, The Full Monty, The Hobbit, Die Another Day, The Van, Stealing Beauty and Don Quixote.
GT: Do you have a type of pick that you can’t live without?
HB: Fender heavy gauge - my go-to pick for most electric playing. Golden Gate for mandolin. Dunlop Flow for acoustic swing music. Folkies light gauge for high-strung Nashville style.
GT: If you had to give up all your pedals but three, what would they be?
HB: Headway EDB-1 - the best DI box for live work. Electro-Harmonix Canyon - has all the sounds and effects I want on one pedal. Black Stone Overdrive - in my opinion the best overdrive pedal.
GT: Do you play another instrument well enough to do so in a band and, if so, have you ever done it?
HB: I play the mandolin. I played on Billy Joel’s live performance on the Old Grey Whistle Test.
GT: If a music chart were put in front of you, could you read it?
HB: Yes.
GT: Do guitar cables really make a difference? What make are yours?
HB: Yes they do make a difference. I use numerous makes but in particular Fender and Neutrik.
GT: Is there anyone’s playing (past or present) that you’re slightly jealous of? (And why?) HB: No.
GT: Your house/studio is burning down: which guitar do you salvage?
HB: I can’t pick one, so I’ve decided to salvage three as they all inspire in equal measure. My Fylde Ariel, Kohno classical, and Gibson Les Paul.
GT: What’s your favourite amp? HB: Sixcties or 70s Fender Deluxe Reverb, 60/70s Fender Princeton Reverb, and 70s Mesa Boogie.
