Burr studied double bass at a summer program at the Berklee College of Music in 1969 before attending the University of Illinois from 1970 to 1975.
He was also a student of Clem DeRosa, and dring this time played with Jim McNeely and the Warren Covington-led Tommy Dorsey Orchestra.
[1] Burr relocated to New York City in 1975, and there played with Steve Grossman, Buddy Rich, Ted Curson, Art Farmer, Lee Konitz, Chet Baker, Horace Silver, and Stan Getz in the latter half of the 1970s.
Burr has published three books, The Untold Secret to Melodic Bass in 2009,[2] and The Improvising Chef in 2010,[3] and Letting Go: Practical Meditation for Everyday People in 2011.
[4] In October 2015, Burr played bass in the musical show Mr. Lucky: The Songs of Henry Mancini, by Bistro Award-winning vocalist Jeff Macauley, with pianist and arranger Tex Arnold.