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Ed Burleson
ED BURLESON
Burleson’s Texas bloodline goes back as far as his name: Bennett Edward Burleson IV. Born in 1969, he grew up in a music-loving family that moved frequently because of his dad’s sales career. They landed in Lewisville, where Ed joined his high school rodeo team — a choice that led directly to his music career. In college on a bronco-bucking scholarship, Burleson traded some riding tack for a guitar. After graduation, he moved to Dallas and joined the professional rodeo circuit, but got lassoed by a knee injury. Recovering gave him enough free time (or boredom) to get serious about music. He decided to leave the cowboy life to follow another kind of Texas tradition as a country singer/songwriter. Visiting Dallas’ Three Teardrops Tavern to hear his country heroes earned Burleson an invitation to do an open-stage set. The bar owner then offered him a regular Thursday night slot if he could assemble a band in four days. That band’s drummer, Richard Burleson, still performs with his son. Ed’s first recording was Live at Three Teardrops. His next, Comin’ Around, got him to the Broken Spoke, Austin’s real-deal dance hall. Sahm was there, and Ed gave him a CD, which Sahm loved so much, he wound up re-releasing as Perfect World. He also became Burleson’s manager, but two weeks after performing at Ed’s CD release party, Sahm was gone. Without him, the album floundered, and so did Ed’s career. But he didn’t give up. Laboring by day and playing as many nights as he could, Burleson built a strong fan base.