By GARY DEMUTH

Salina Journal

When Michael Burks first picked up a child-sized guitar as a little boy, his father gave him a tempting lesson plan.

Frederick Burks, a bass player himself, would hand his son a record from his stack of 45s and tell him, "I'll give you a dollar if you learn this song by the time I'm home from work."

Michael would then spend the rest of the day learning the song "forwards, backwards and sideways."

"A dollar was a lot of money for a kid in Arkansas in 1963," he said. "So while other kids were playing, I'd play my guitar."

Michael became so adept at learning his dad's blues recordings that Frederick finally gave him one last 45 and said, "You learn this one, and you'll get a licking."

Michael Burks kept on playing and grew up to be an acclaimed blues guitarist, vocalist and songwriter who has made headline appearances at clubs and music festivals throughout the U.S. and Europe.

His powerful, blistering guitar style, soulful vocals and onstage intensity earned him the nickname "Iron Man," which coincidentally is the title of his third CD.

Burks will be the opening act for the 2009 "That's Entertainment" concert series sponsored by the Salina Parks and Recreation Department. He will perform from 8 to 10 p.m. Thursday on the Eric Stein Stage at Oakdale Park. Admission is free.

Six concerts will follow from 8 to 10 p.m. each Thursday through July 30 at Oakdale Park. The lineup will feature bands performing British roots rock, modern country, traditional jazz and a slew of ZZ Top classics.

"We try to schedule a variety of entertainment in the park, from blues to country," said Tim Kerbs, organizer of the concert series for Salina Parks and Recreation. "We consider it a great public service to have people come out and enjoy entertainment in the park."

Kerbs estimated that 300 to 1,000 people regularly attend the summer concerts, which are designed to be enjoyed by the entire family.

"After all the good entertainment at the Smoky Hill River Festival, we want to continue that festive atmosphere," Kerbs said.

Burks plans to kick off this season of concerts with his own festive mixture of blues and rock that pay homage to his musical influences -- B.B. King, Albert King, Carlos Santana and Jimi Hendrix.

Burks said his guitar university was his father's 300-seat juke joint in Arkansas, called the Bradley Ferry Country Club. There, Burks would lead the house band every Thursday through Saturday.

"There were no 45-minute sets and then you take a break," he said. "We played when the sun went down and stopped when the sun came up. That's where I really learned my skills."

Since beginning to tour 10 years ago, Burks has released two acclaimed CDs, "Make It Rain," named as one of the top 200 greatest guitar recordings by GuitarOne magazine, and "I Smell Smoke," which received Blues Music Award nominations for Contemporary Blues Album of the Year and Song of the Year for the title track.

Whether he's playing in the U.S. at the Telluride or Chicago Blues Festival or in Europe or Australia, Burks wants all his audiences to feel the same joy and passion that he puts in every performance.

"You want to give people an energy and feeling that will make them want to come back for more," he said. "Afterwards I want them to say, 'I felt every note that guy was playing.' "

Other "That's Entertainment" concerts scheduled this summer at Oakdale Park include:

nSplit Decision (June 25) -- Salina-based band mixes modern country, southern rock and energetic party music.

nHeadsHandsFeat (July 2) -- This guitar, bass and drummer power trio plays classic, Americana and British roots-rock from the 1960s.

nSharp Dressed Man (July 9) -- The music of the legendary ZZ Top is recreated by this tribute band that captures the band's Texas boogie and hard rocking blues sound, along with fancy clothes, fuzzy guitars and long beards.

nThe Zafaja Band (July 16) -- Salina-based dance and show band features original tunes and cover songs from the 1950s through the 1980s, along with current rhythm and blues hits.

nMillage Gilbert (July 23) -- Kansas City bluesman has a deep-throated, moody, down-home blues sound that covers songs from blues legends like Albert King, Z.Z. Hill and Muddy Waters.

nTom Morgan Quartet (July 30) -- Traditional jazz group from Lawrence consisting of saxophone, guitar, bass and drums. The quartet will present familiar jazz standards and original material that showcases each member of the group.

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