Johnny Burnette
b. 28 March 1934, Memphis, Tennessee, USA, d. 1 August 1964, Clear Lake, California, USA. Having attended the same high school as Elvis Presley, Johnny moved into the rockabilly genre by forming a trio with his brother Dorsey Burnette on string bass and schoolfriend Paul Burlison (b. 4 February 1929, Brownsville, Tennessee, USA, d. 27 September 2003, Horn Lake, Mississippi, USA) on guitar. Allegedly rejected by Sun Records owner Sam Phillips, the group recorded "Go Mule Go" for Von Records in New York and were subsequently signed to Coral Records, where they enjoyed a minor hit with "Tear It Up". After touring with Carl Perkins and Gene Vincent, the trio underwent a change of personnel in November 1956 with the recruitment of drummer Tony Austin. That same month, the trio featured in Alan Freed's movie Rock Rock Rock. During this period, they issued a number of singles, including "Honey Hush", "The Train Kept A-Rollin'", "Lonesome Train", "Eager Beaver Baby", "Drinking Wine, Spo-Dee-O-Dee" and "If You Want It Enough", but despite the quality of the songs their work was unheralded.
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Albums
- (2006) Tear It Up: The Complete Legedary Coral Recordings
- (2004) Best Of
- (1994) Rock 'N' Roll Trio/Tear It Up
Top Tracks
- Dreamin'
- You're Sixteen
- Rock Billy Boogie
- The Train Kept A Rollin'
- Little Boy Sad
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