Anthony John Burger (June 5, 1961 – February 22, 2006) was an American pianist and singer, most closely associated with Southern gospel music.
Early life
Anthony Burger was born in
Cleveland, Tennessee
Cleveland is the county seat of, and largest city in, Bradley County, Tennessee. The population was 47,356 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Cleveland metropolitan area, Tennessee (consisting of Bradle ...
to Richard and Jean Burger. At age eight months, he was using a
baby walker
A baby walker is a device that can be used by infants who cannot walk on their own to move from one place to another. Modern baby walkers are also for toddlers. They have a base made of hard plastic sitting on top of wheels and a suspended fabri ...
and fell into a heating duct on the floor of his house. He suffered
third degree burn
A burn is an injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, friction, or ionizing radiation (such as sunburn, caused by ultraviolet radiation). Most burns are due to heat from hot fluids (called scalding), solids, ...
s on his hands, face and legs. After suffering the burns, Burger's doctor told his parents he was very likely to not be able to move his hands in the future. Despite the odds, Burger recovered. At the age of five, he was accepted at the Cadek Conservatory,
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UT Chattanooga, UTC, or Chattanooga) is a public university in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States. It was founded in 1886 and is part of the University of Tennessee System.
History
UTC was founde ...
. A child prodigy, Burger was playing classical piano repertoire within a few years. Burger attended Bradley Central High School in Cleveland but did not graduate.
Career
Burger's first recording, ''Anthony Burger at the Lowrey Organ'', was released in 1975 when he was 14 years old. He recorded with The Celestials on their album ''Ole Fashion Gospel'' in 1976. He joined the Kingsmen Quartet at age sixteen in August 1978 and remained with them until March 1993. During that time, Burger recorded nineteen projects with the group and was voted the Favorite Pianist in the '' Singing News'' Fan Awards for an unprecedented ten years. The award was renamed the "Anthony Burger Award" for several years after that. During this period, Burger presented the award to the winner each year, but was ineligible to receive it.
In 1993, Burger left the Kingsmen Quartet to pursue a career as a solo pianist. He joined the
Gaither Homecoming
''Gaither Homecoming'' is the name applied to a series of videos, music recordings and concerts, which are organized, promoted and usually presented by Christian music songwriter and impresario Bill Gaither.
Beginnings
On February 19, 1992, the ...
Tour the following year and was featured on more than 65 Homecoming videos. Burger continued to release piano solo recordings and headline concerts, but his solo schedule was balanced by about 80 Gaither Homecoming dates per year. Adding more variety to his schedule, Burger formed an impromptu sideline group with
Ivan Parker
Ivan Ray Parker (born December 21, 1957) is an American Southern Gospel singer.
Musical career
Ivan Parker was raised in Sanford, North Carolina, where his father was a pastor in a Pentecostal church.Kirk Talley around 1998 called "The Trio." The group performed at several events each year. ( Shane Dunlap later replaced Parker.)
Burger was known throughout his career to tell of how God healed his hands and playing the piano was his way of praising God. During the course of his career, Burger teamed up with gospel saxophonist Dan Traxler. Their album, "Classic Gospel", was released to streaming services including Spotify, in 2020.
Over the course of his career, Burger released a number of piano folios, permitting fellow keyboard players to perform his arrangements.
The Hazelton Brothers piano company honored Burger just after the turn of the century when they began offering an "Anthony Burger Signature" model. Then in late 2005,
Steinway & Sons
Steinway & Sons, also known as Steinway (), is a German-American piano company, founded in 1853 in New York City by German piano builder Henry E. Steinway, Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg (later known as Henry E. Steinway). The company's growth le ...
announced that Burger was being added to their exclusive roster of endorsing artists, making him the first Southern Gospel pianist to ever hold that honor.
The Trio members
Line-ups
Death
On February 22, 2006, at the age of 44, Burger died of a massive heart attack after performing aboard the MS ''Zuiderdam'', a cruise ship chartered for a Gaither Gospel Cruise. According to eyewitnesses, Burger was accompanying Bill and Gloria Gaither and Guy Penrod when fans in the audience noticed Burger had ceased moving, his hands clenched into fists over the keyboard. Several fellow artists carried him backstage, where the cruise ship's emergency response team performed
CPR
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure used during cardiac or respiratory arrest that involves chest compressions, often combined with artificial ventilation, to preserve brain function and maintain circulation until sp ...
for about 45 minutes, to no avail.
Awards
Singing News Fan Awards
*Favorite Musician (1980 to 1989)
Southern Gospel Museum and Hall of Fame
The Southern Gospel Music Association (''SGMA'') is a non-profit corporation formed as an association of southern gospel music singers, songwriters, fans, and industry workers. Membership is acquired and maintained through payment of annual dues. ...