| Anthony Burger | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 5 1961 Cleveland, Tennessee, United States |
| Died | February 22 2006 (aged 44) MS Zuiderdam, Cruise Ship, |
| Occupation | painist, vocalist, |
| Nationality | American |
| Genres | Southern Gospel |
Anthony John Burger (June 5, 1961 – February 22, 2006) was an American musician and singer, most closely associated with Southern Gospel music.
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Early life
He was born in Cleveland, Tennessee to Richard and Jean Burger. After suffering third degree burns on his hands at eight months of age, Burger’s doctor told his parents he wouldn’t likely be able to move his hands in the future. Despite the odds, Burger was healed. At the age of five, he was accepted at the Cadek Conservatory in Chattanooga, Tennessee. A child prodigy, Burger was playing classical piano repertoire within a few years.
Career
Burger’s first recording, Anthony Burger At The Lowry Organ, was released in 1975 when he was 14 years old. He joined the Kingsmen Quartet while still a teen and remained with them until 1992. 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 1992, Burger left the Kingsmen Quartet to pursue a career as a solo pianist. He joined the Gaither Homecoming 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 and Kirk Talley around 1998 called “The Trio.” The group performed at several events each year. (Shane Dunlap later replaced Parker.) Night after night, when playing at concerts, he stated that God had healed his hands so he could play music. He was constantly giving all the glory to God instead of himself. 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 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.
Death
The joy over this appointment was short-lived, however. On February 22, 2006, Burger died of a massive heart attack while performing aboard the MS Zuiderdam, a cruise ship chartered for a Gaither Gospel Cruise. According to eyewitnesses, Burger was accompanying Bill & Gloria Gaither and Guy Penrod on the song "Hear My Song, Lord" when fans in the audience noticed Burger had ceased moving, his hands clenched into fists over the keyboard. Several fellow artists lifted him and carried him backstage, where the cruise ship's emergency response team performed CPR for about 45 minutes, but couldn't revive him. Burger was only 44 years old when he died, leaving behind his wife LuAnn, their daughter Lori, and their sons A.J. and Austin. Shortly after his death, a young blind pianist, Gordon Mote, from the Nashville area was hired to replace Burger as the Gaither Homecoming pianist.
