Johnny Burnette

Rockabilly and rock and roll pioneer Johnny Burnette was born in Memphis, Tennessee on March 25, 1934. He is best known for co-founding the Rock and Roll Trio with his brother Dorsey Burnett and for his 1960 single “You’re Sixteen.” Johnny Burnette grew up in the same area of Memphis as Elvis Presley, although they didn’t not attend the same high school, as some early press releases erroneously stated. Initially interested in boxing, he intended to pursue the sport after leaving high school but after several fights, he gave it up and began working on barges on the Mississippi River. Johnny Burnette, his brother Dorsey, and friend Paul Burlison came together as the Rhythm Rangers and moved to New York. After winning Ted Mack’s Original Amateur Hour three times in a row, they signed with Coral Records and changed their name to the Rock and Roll Trio. The group released three singles, made appearances on TV variety shows American Bandstand, the Tonight Show, and Kraft Music Hall, and toured with Gene Vincent and Carl Perkins. Internal friction within the group led to Dorsey quitting the trio in 1956, right before they were set to film a scene in the movie Rock, Rock, Rock. They hastily recruited bassist Johnny Black – brother of Elvis’ bassist Bill Black – and took part in the film. The group released an album and three additional singles but split up in 1957 when they failed to achieve commercial success. Hoping to find fame and fortune in California, Johnny Burnette hitchhiked to the West Coast, where he reconnected with his brother. Leaving past differences behind, they briefly resurrected the Rock and Roll Trio, but focused on songwriting and looking for opportunities in the music business. They auditioned for Ricky Nelson and were hired, playing on hits such as “It’s Late,” “Just a Little Too Much,” ‘Waitin’ in School” and others. Their songwriting skills were noticed by Imperial Records and some of their songs were recorded by artists such as Roy Brown. They were signed to Imperial Records as a duo and released the single “Warm Love” in 1958. After the single failed, the brothers continued to write together and released singles under various pseudonyms including the Texans and the Shamrocks. Johnny Burnette signed a solo deal in 1958 with Liberty Records’ offshoot label Freedom Records and issued a series of singles including “Settin’ the Woods on Fire” (1959) and “Patrick Henry” (1960). He scored a hit with his third single, “Dreamin’,” in 1960, which reached Number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and went on to sell over a million copies worldwide. Johnny Burnette scored his biggest hit in October 1960 with the release of “You’re Sixteen,” which climbed to Number 8 on Billboard and reached Number 3 in the UK. Suffering from a ruptured appendix and hospitalized for several weeks, he was unable to promote his next two singles – “Little Boy Sad” and “Big Big World” – and he began to lose momentum in the charts. Although he eventually recovered and began to promote his next few singles, they didn’t fare well on the US charts, but stirred up interest in the UK. Johnny Burnette undertook a tour of the UK in 1962 and appeared on several TV variety shows. He left Liberty Records in ’62, signing with Chancellor Records and issued three singles, none of which were hits. After a short and unsuccessful stint with Capitol Record that lasted from the summer of 1963 until April 1964, he formed his own label, Sahara Records and released the single “Fountain of Love” in July 1964. He changed the name of the label to Magic Lamp Records shortly thereafter and issued the single “Bigger Man”. On August 14, 1964, Johnny Burnette was killed in a boating accident in Clear Lake, California. He was 30 years old.