“A few days ago, Athens lost one of its all time greats when Brian Burke of the Normaltown Flyers passed away. I moved to Athens in 1978, and amongst the fertile new music scene, the Normaltown Flyers stood tall as a great country honky tonk hybrid that was guaranteed to tear the walls down in whatever bar they played. Brian was the lead singer, guitarist and songwriter. I saw every iteration of the band for years; they never let me down.
When R.E.M. finished the 1989 Green Tour, I mentioned to my friend Paul “Crumpy” Edwards, who was the Flyers’ bass player, that I didn’t really have any gigs coming up. He suggested that I come to Allen’s, two blocks from my house and sit in with the Flyers. And so began an education.
With Brian Burke singing, the great David Blackmon on fiddle and guitar, Crumpy on bass and me playing rhythm, I was schooled in the history of country, honky tonk, rock and blues. Brian was a great frontman, and an even better teacher, with an encyclopedic knowledge of the music, and a voice of pure country soul. It was an honor and a pleasure.
I played with the band every Wednesday for a year, two dollar admission, dollar Budweiser, best cheeseburgers in town. I became great friends with the guys, and I loved Brian. He was a sweet man, and a real honky tonk hero.” -Peter
Photo of Brian and Peter by Jordan Stepp. View Jordan’s blog here.