24 Facts About Johnny Burnette

John Joseph Burnette was an American singer and songwriter of rockabilly and pop music.

Johnny Burnette's career was cut short on August 14,1964, when he drowned following a boat accident, aged 30.

Johnny Burnette is the father of 1980s rockabilly singer Rocky Burnette.

Johnny Burnette attended Blessed Sacrament School, and after graduating from eighth grade he went to Catholic High School, in Memphis.

Johnny Burnette showed an aptitude for sports, being on the school baseball team and playing linebacker on the football team.

Johnny Burnette went to work on barges traversing the Mississippi River, where Dorsey worked.

Johnny Burnette worked mainly as a deck hand; Dorsey worked as an oiler.

Johnny Burnette sang and played acoustic guitar, Dorsey played bass and Paul Burlison played lead guitar.

Now unemployed in Memphis, Johnny Burnette decided to try his luck in California.

Johnny Burnette joined them briefly but decided to return to Memphis and concentrate on his electrical business.

Dorsey and Johnny Burnette continued with their songwriting, but Dorsey kept his day job as an electrician to pay the family expenses.

In mid-1959, the Freedom label was shut down, and Johnny Burnette moved to the parent Liberty label, under the direction of the producer Snuff Garrett.

Johnny Burnette went back into the studio and under Snuff Garrett's direction recorded "Little Boy Sad".

Shortly after its release, Johnny Burnette was hospitalized with a ruptured appendix, which kept him bedridden for several weeks.

Johnny Burnette was unable to undertake many personal appearances to promote the new record, and it reached only number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 12 in Britain.

In 1962, Johnny Burnette toured Britain for the first time, with Gary US Bonds and Gene McDaniels, where he made an appearance on the New Musical Express Poll Winners' Concert and several TV appearances.

Johnny Burnette moved to Chancellor Records, which had had success with teen idols like Fabian Forte and Frankie Avalon.

Johnny Burnette moved on from Chancellor, briefly joining Dorsey on Reprise Records for one single, "Hey Sue" backed with "It Don't Take Much", before signing a one-year contract with Capitol Records in the summer of 1963.

Johnny Burnette's first recording session was held on July 23,1963, at the Capitol Tower with Jim Economides and Jimmie Haskell overseeing the proceedings.

When his Capitol contract ran out, Johnny Burnette decided to take charge of his own affairs on his own terms.

Johnny Burnette formed his own label Sahara and in July 1964 released the single "Fountain of Love" backed with "What a Summer Day".

When he received the news, Dorsey Burnette called Paul Burlison, who flew out to comfort him and attend Johnny's funeral.

Johnny Burnette is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.

Johnny Burnette gained renewed prominence in 1973 thanks to Ringo Starr's version of "You're Sixteen".