Husky Burnette continues his banner year with Thanksgiving show at JJ's

photo Husky Burnette

Brian Burnette has so much to be thankful for that he's finding it hard to sum it all up as the year draws to a close.

Tonight, Nov. 27, the Chattanooga-based, raspy-voiced singer and guitarist will bring his diesel-fueled, slide-heavy take on blues to JJ's Bohemia. And based on how the last few months have shaped up, he says he won't have to struggle to embrace the spirit of the holiday.

If you go> What: Husky Burnette Thanksgiving Throwdown> When: 9 p.m. today, Nov. 27> Where: JJ's Bohemia, 231 E. M.L. King Blvd.> Admission: $5> Phone: 423-266-1400> Venue website: www.jjsbohemia.com> Artist website: www.facebook.com/huskyburnette

"This is probably the best year I've had so far," says Burnette, who plays under the stage name "Husky."

"A lot of stuff happened due to getting signed with Rusty Knuckles last year," he adds. "Just a lot of good random stuff has come out of that."

Shifting his allegiance to Rusty Knuckles last February from Florida label Cracker Swamp proved to be a defining move for Burnette. Just after the swap, he recorded his second full-length project, "Tales From East End Blvd.," which spent months topping iTunes' New and Noteworthy blues release chart following its August 2013 release.

As a result of that success, he says, sales jumped for his 2011 debut LP, "Facedown in the Dirt," and his band was pegged to play several hot-rod-centric festivals, including Steel in Motion in Union, S.C., and Midwest Mecca in Middletown, Ohio.

In December, Burnette will be spotlighted in a feature to be published in the next issue of nationally circulated Ratrod Magazine. By January, he says, he plans to be wrapping up production of his third record.

"Going into the studio to work on the third album, it's got to be better," he says. "I'm going to shoot big on this one. I want it to be all I want it to be and more, I guess."

To top it all off, Burnette says, the addition two months ago of Cleveland, Tenn.-based bassist O'Neal Dover to the lineup has made all the difference in how he's able to present his raggedly soulful version of electric blues.

"When he came along - he gets it; he gets the style," Burnette says. "We listen to the exact same records. He gets it, so it's a perfect fit. He's jammed with [drummer] Yattie [Westfield] for years, so it's like one big complete circle.

"He's just slid right in, man, perfectly. I like it when things are easy."

Contact Casey Phillips at cphillips@timesfree press.com or 423-757-6205. Follow him on Twitter at @PhillipsCTFP.

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