A contemporary of
Elvis Presley in the Memphis scene of the mid-'50s,
Johnny Burnette played a similar brand of fiery, spare wildman rockabilly. With his brother
Dorsey (on bass) and guitarist
Paul Burlison forming his Rock 'n' Roll Trio, he recorded a clutch of singles for Decca in 1956 and 1957 that achieved nothing more than regional success. Featuring the groundbreaking fuzzy tone of
Burlison's guitar,
Johnny's energetic vocals, and
Dorsey's slapping bass, these recordings -- highlighted by the first rock & roll version of "Train Kept A-Rollin'" -- compare well to the classic Sun rockabilly of the same era. The trio disbanded in 1957, and
Johnny found pop success as a teen idol in the early '60s with hits like "You're Sixteen" and "Dreamin'."
Burnette died in a boating accident in 1964. His brother
Dorsey achieved modest success as a solo act in the early '60s, and
Burlison resurfaced as a member of the Sun Rhythm Section. ~ Richie Unterberger