Pinetop Burks, born Conish Burks on August 7, 1907 and raised in the Richmond area, was an American blues pianist and songwriter. He was part of the blues ensemble Santa Fe Group, which played in juke joints along the Santa Fe railroad tracks.
His playing style was reminiscent of his influences, Rob Cooper and Robert Shaw of Stafford. Shaw once said of Burks, “When I met him, he couldn’t play, so I showed him some. Three years later, when I was in Richmond again, he played better than me.” Pinetop Burks was said to have incredible technique and was known for recording a variety of music based on earlier works. He recorded his only known six tracks in San Antonio at Vocalion Records in one session in 1937.
Conish Burks left the jazz and blues scene in the mid-1930s, enlisted in the U.S. Army, and fought in World War II. He returned home badly injured and later died in Corpus Christi on January 11, 1947. He is buried at Edwards Cemetery in Thompsons, Texas. Pinetop Burks’ recordings are now compiled on the album San Antonio Blues 1937, which was released in 1994 by Document Records.
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