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| Trevor Burton | |
|---|---|
| Name | Trevor Burton |
| Birth date | 1949 |
| Birth place | Birmingham, England |
| Genres | Rock, Rhythm and blues, Blues rock |
| Occupations | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar, bass guitar |
| Years active | 1960s–present |
| Associated acts | The Move, Roy Wood, Carl Wayne, Eddie and the Hot Rods, Wizzard |
Trevor Burton (born 1949) is an English musician best known as a founding member and guitarist of The Move, a pivotal group in the British rock and pop scene of the 1960s. Burton's playing and songwriting contributed to the band's blend of R&B, psychedelic rock, and pop that influenced subsequent acts such as Electric Light Orchestra and ELO. Over a multi-decade career he has worked as a solo artist, session player, and collaborator with figures from the Birmingham music community and beyond.
Burton was born and raised in Birmingham, England, a city also associated with artists like Black Sabbath and ELO. He began playing guitar in local youth clubs and skiffle groups during the early 1960s, drawing on influences from visiting American blues and R&B records by performers such as Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and B.B. King. Birmingham's active live circuit, including venues like the Birmingham Hippodrome and local pubs that hosted bands influenced by the British blues boom, provided early performance opportunities. Burton's formative associations included bands that gigged alongside contemporaries linked to the Mod scene and the broader Midlands rock network.
In 1966 Burton co-founded The Move with musicians who had roots in Birmingham's club scene and who would become notable figures in British rock: Roy Wood, Carl Wayne, Ace Kefford, and Bev Bevan. The Move quickly established a reputation for energetic live shows and a repertoire mixing R&B covers and original compositions that mirrored contemporary developments in psychedelic rock and British pop. Burton's musicianship—alternating between lead guitar and bass—featured on early Move singles that charted in the UK charts and that were promoted on national outlets such as Top of the Pops and regional radio like BBC Radio 1. Internal tensions over musical direction and management culminated in lineup changes and Burton's departure in late 1969, after which remaining members pursued projects including Wizzard and Electric Light Orchestra.
After leaving The Move, Burton pursued a solo path and formed bands that continued to perform on the British pub and club circuit. He recorded with ensembles that revisited R&B and blues rock traditions, aligning with the resurgence of roots-based rock in the 1970s and 1980s. Burton undertook regional tours and made appearances at festivals tied to classic rock retrospectives alongside artists from the 1960s and 1970s, sharing bills with acts associated with Glastonbury Festival alumni and revival circuits. His solo repertoire combined original compositions with reinterpretations of material from the broader British rhythm and blues catalogue.
Throughout his career Burton contributed as a guest musician and session player to projects by former bandmates and other artists from the Midlands and London scenes. Collaborators have included Roy Wood, whose work bridged The Move and later orchestral pop with ELO, and vocalists from the era such as Carl Wayne. Burton also played with pub-rock and punk-adjacent groups like Eddie and the Hot Rods on live dates, and he participated in studio sessions that linked him to producers and engineers who worked across Decca Records-era projects and independent labels. His session resume spans recordings, radio sessions for outlets such as BBC Radio 2 and regional BBC studios, and soundtrack contributions tied to period compilations highlighting 1960s Birmingham acts.
Burton's guitar style reflects an amalgam of Chicago blues phrasing, rockabilly energy, and the melodic sensibilities of British pop of the 1960s. He has cited American bluesmen like Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy and British contemporaries from the British rhythm and blues movement as touchstones. Technically, Burton is known for a rhythmic, treble-forward attack on single-coil instruments and for switching between rhythm and lead roles reminiscent of dual-guitar arrangements used by bands such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. His songwriting emphasizes concise structures and hook-driven choruses, elements that informed compositions within The Move and later material performed in reunion and tribute contexts.
Burton has remained based in the Midlands and has been active in local music education initiatives and community music events that celebrate Birmingham's musical heritage alongside institutions like Birmingham City University and local cultural festivals. His role in the formation and early sound of The Move secures him a place in accounts of the transition from 1960s R&B bands to the orchestral and art-pop experiments of the 1970s associated with Electric Light Orchestra. Music historians and journalists documenting the British rock era reference Burton when tracing links among Birmingham acts, members of The Move, and later commercial successes. He appears on retrospective compilations and participates in reunion appearances that underscore his contribution to a formative chapter in British popular music.
Category:English rock guitarists Category:Musicians from Birmingham, West Midlands