Dustin Burchett began his musical journey singing as a little boy, and playing guitar as a young man. As a grown man with a wife and a young daughter, he cherishes every chance to embrace the music he loves to play.
Burchett recalls he was probably in Fourth Grade when he wrote his first song, or at least the first songs he can remember writing. "It was called Redneck Yell," he said with a chuckle, later estimating he has written "hundreds" of songs and continues to enjoy crafting lyrics.
"I've always been country man. I always looked up to Garth Brooks and George Strait. Clay Walker - I used to watch him a lot," Burchett said of his early musical influences, after explaining his introduction to a larger audience came when his grandparents, Russell and Betty Lucas, played and sang on WUGO Radio following preaching by Herman Carpenter.
"I recall singing Amazing Grace and I'll Meet You by the River with them. Fore some reason I remember those two songs," Burchett said. A millwright by trade, Burchett was working at Kentucky Electric Steel when he made up his mind to get a band together and start playing live shows. "Probably to this day there are words to songs written on walls and the bathroom stalls there," he said with a hearty laugh.
Musician George Molton fueled his passion for playing and singing, Burchett said. "I would watch him and say 'Man. this is something that I'm definitely interested in doing," he said, almost blushing as he confessed Molton has no idea of his influence.
"He knows I am a fan, but not like that," Burchett said. Burchett said he was blessed to get a few choice shows as soon as he began looking for stages to play upon.
"My first show was opening for the Tommy Webb Band at the Isaacs Performing Arts Center in Hitchins. Mike Johnston is the first guy who stuck out his neck and let me play. Then my second show I opened up for Larry Cordle," he said, noting Mason Holbrook was his guitarist for those first shows.
"My next guitarist was Shelby (Lore)! I dragged that kid out of Carter City when he was about 15. He was so shy. He was scared of everything …" Burchett said, acknowledging Lore has long since lost any shyness and always gives his audiences an excellent show.
Phillip Green has remained Burchett's guitar player since a broken car window brought them together.
"The first time I met him we wrote a song called Whisper. It's going to be on the next CD," Burchett said. Burchett's current CD, Redneck Pedigree, is available at his live shows and his single The Good Life is playing in 50 states on 22 radio stations per state and in the UK and Canada," he said, adding the single is available "online wherever music is sold."
Burchett has a heavy schedule of performance dates, including upcoming appearances at Raceland Race Days and the Elliott County Tobacco Festival. Smiling, he said his nine-year-old daughter, Willow, often joins him to play guitar and sing during his concerts with his band Kentucky Clear,
Burchett said he is easy to find on social media sites. "Facebook. Twitter. Instagram. Just type my name up."