Dorsey William Burnette III, known professionally as Billy Burnette, was born on May 8, 1953, in Memphis, Tennessee. His father, Dorsey Burnette, and uncle Johnny Burnette were members of The Rock and Roll Trio. Billy Burnette made his first recording at age seven, appearing with Ricky Nelson on "Hey Daddy (I'm Gonna Tell Santa On You)" (1960). After touring with Brenda Lee and teaching himself guitar, Burnette signed with Entrance Records in 1972 and released his debut album, Billy Burnette. He later moved to Columbia Records, issuing a self‑titled album, which included the single "Don't Say No", which reached number 68 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1987, Burnette joined Fleetwood Mac alongside guitarist Rick Vito, contributing to the Greatest Hits compilation (1988) and the studio albums Behind the Mask (1990) and Time (1995). He co‑wrote several tracks, including "As Long as You Follow" and "In the Back of My Mind", and toured worldwide with the band until the band went on hiatus in 1996. After a brief return to solo work, he performed with John Fogerty’s band and later released the albums Rock & Roll With It (2011) and Crazy Like Me (2017).
