James Edward Burton was born in Dubberly, Louisiana.

Since the 1950s, Burton has recorded and performed with an
array of notable singers, including Elvis Presley, Ricky Nelson,
Johnny Cash, The Everly Brothers, Merle Haggard, Jerry Lee
Lewis, Glen Campbell, Roy Orbison, Vince Gill and the list 
goes on.

Burton has been a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
since 2001. He has also been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall
of Fame and the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum.

Critic Mark Demming writes that "Burton has a well-deserved
reputation as one of the finest guitar pickers in either country
or rock, Burton is one of the best guitar players to ever touch
a fretboard."         

From left: Elvis Presley and James Burton.

James Burton (left) and Ricky Nelson (center) with bassist James Kirkland.

From 1963 with James Burton on lead guitar.

Boris Yeltsin (right) with Mikhail Gorbachev after the failure of the
August 21, 1991 coup.

Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev returns to Moscow from the
Crimea on August 22, 1991 after a hardline coup failed.

It was on this day in 1940.

Nat Turner, a former slave, led a violent insurrection in Virginia on
this day in 1831. He was later executed.

Hawaii became the 50th state on this day in 1959. President Dwight
D. Eisenhower (second from left) also issued the order for the 50
star flag.

After signing Executive Order adding 50th star to US flag, for Hawaii, President Eisenhower (third from left) holds up the new flag.

Kenneth Ray Rogers is 80 years old today. He was born in Houston,
TX.

Country icon Kenny Rogers has sold more than 100 million albums over
the course of his career. His 1970s albums The Gambler and Kenny went
5x platinum and 3x platinum, respectively. In 2013, he was inducted into
the Country Music Hall of Fame.