James Burton, the "Telecaster Master"
was playing for
Elvis Presley when I met him in 1972. Mike
Deasy introduced us. He asked me to carve this
tele for him (it was one of his favorites) 'cause he liked
what I did on the 3 I had carved for Mike.
He
said he wanted a crucifix on it, his initials, a "leo" sign and (especially) the letters "TCB" with a
lightening bolt. The design was left to me. TCB stands for
"take care of business". Elvis' band members had
this symbol on everything they owned.
The photo below is from the Country Music Hall of Fame, where James donated the guitar and gave me a nice mention on
the accompanying plaque.
