Statesman Journal from Salem, Oregon • Page WKD7

Beautify your home and garden with GARY BURFORD BENEFIT When: 11 a.m. to close Sunday; 1 p.m. Steve Banks Duo; 2 p.m. Last Minute, with Don Palmer and Bob Esch; 3 p.m. Lynn Knight; 4 p.m.

Randy Flook; 5 p.m. Jake Blair Band; 6 p.m. Phamous Phaces; 7 p.m. Ty Curtis; and 8 p.m. until closing Curtis Salgado and Terry Robb, with Dave Fleshner, Bob Beck, Dennis Ayres and Beth Poore on sax Where: Your Place Restaurant Nightclub, 3165 River Road Cost: $5 suggested donation Information: (503) 304-5230 RliAL LIVING Every Friday in the Statesman Journal Subscribe: 1-800-452-2511 Kiren Personal Training www.kirenpersonaltraining.com long as it needs to last," he said.

He previously received outpatient services in Vancouver and Salem, but he relapsed. Since Oct. 16, White City has been his temporary home. Yet he must still pay rent on his permanent apartment in Salem. He will travel to Portland in January for vision treatment and a knee operation.

Talk of his pending liver transplant are "up in the air," Burford said. Until his health improves, Burford remains in the VA hospital, where he is taking his music to a therapeutic level, assisting other former service people in their treatment. Burford said, "We got a thing here where we go get together, call it a jam. Different guys come and play bass, keyboards and guitars in a theater on post. It serves a great purpose.

"We drink coffee and relate to each other and play some music one to two times a week." When Burford spoke with the Statesman for this article the last week of November, he had been 81 days sober. "It will be 180 when I get out," he said. "I will return to the Salem area in March. Hopefully I can come up with a musically good thing that can take off in the valley and elsewhere. I have to.

I don't know what else I can do. That's what can get me out to where the rubber hits the road again." His plans center on reuniting with Dennis Ayres and Bob Beck for a new version of the Gary Burford Trio. AJoynerstatesmanjournal.com; 503) 399-6671 FROM PREVIOUS PAGE The Statesman Journal named him Musician of The Year three times, and he has received accolades from the Cascade Blues Association. While playing his prized Fender Stratocaster, Burford also spent much of the past 15 years promoting local talent at local venues and festivals. He worked hand-in-hand organizing those concerts with Casey Campbell, owner of Casey's Hotdogs for 36 years in downtown Salem.

"He's played every bar in town," Campbell said. Together, they planned free concerts that brought musicians and their fans to the downtown area. "(Burford) brought in the bands, and we supplied all the tents and closed the streets," Campbell said. Their most notable events were Court Street Blues Festivals in the late 1990s. Campbell said, "He is a brother to every bar in town.

He is a veteran, too. The benefit is a good thing all around. He has a problem, and he's getting it taken care of. It's true Gary business. He's got a lot motivation in him." Burford's business side helped him develop a friendship with renowned blues and soul musician Curtis Salgado.

"He is a good friend of mine," Salgado said. He has put food on my table by booking me and my band at festivals and street fairs. He is a sweetheart of a guy and works real hard." "I had a good run in Salem," Burford said. He does admit that those high Health and wellness IS a family affair. I offer programs that allow EVERYONE to improve their fitness through fun and effective activities.

Bring the family and take the first step toward a healthier lifestyle, more energy, AND a better outlook! points performing in bars also led to his low point. "I got all I wanted to drink for free. It was the best and worst. As you get more and more into alcohol, your performance suffers." He finally sought help, but he would have nothing to do with the VA until he was out of the Army for 17 years. Today, he owes a lot to the VA doctors and treatment programs.

He is regaining cognitive skills, dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and, most importantly, tackling alcoholism. "It just takes time," he said. "It's too expensive to pay for myself. Co-pays." He is hesitant to blame all his problems on his military service, saying he has a long family history with alcoholism. He also is dealing with a traumatic brain injury that occurred when he was assaulted by teenagers in Bend long after his military service ended.

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