Michael Burks was born into the blues. His father was playing alongside Sonny Boy Williamson and his grandfather was a Delta-style blues man from Arkansas. He grew up in his father's blues club and began playing guitar at an early age. He was a nominee for "Best New Artist" in the 2000 Blues Foundation W.C. Handy Awards. Burks has earned the nickname "Iron Man" for his dynamic, electrifying, marathon live performances. He currently plays under the Alligator Records label. His flamethrower guitar style and smoky vocals make this guitar slinger a must-see!

Burks grabbed his Les Paul and started the evening off blazing and soon filled the dance floor. He made it look effortless as he ripped through one hot lick after another. Burks was backed up by a rock solid drummer and bass man and topped it off with the fat, lush reverberation of a Hammond B-3 organ through a Leslie 122 speaker... the perfect combination for and evening of smokin' blues. At one point, Burks took a stroll through the crowd at Cartoons and gave people an up-close look at his fretboard mastery. What a killer show, we hope you and your Valentine had a chance to come and join us at the party!