Dorsey William Burnette III (born May 8, 1953, in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

, United States) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter who was part of the band

Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1967 by the singer and guitarist Peter Green (musician), Peter Green. Green named the band by combining the surnames of the drummer, Mick Fleetwood, and the bassis ...

from 1987 to 1996. Burnette also had a brief career in acting.

Family background

The son of

Dorsey Burnette Dorsey William Burnett Jr. (December 28, 1932 – August 19, 1979) was an American early rockabilly singer. With his younger brother Johnny Burnette and a friend named Paul Burlison, he was a founding member of The Rock and Roll Trio. He is ...

and Alberta Burnette, Billy Burnette was born into a musical family. His father and his uncle

Johnny Burnette John Joseph Burnette (March 25, 1934 – August 14, 1964) was an American singer and songwriter of rockabilly and pop music. In 1952, Johnny, his brother Dorsey Burnette, and their mutual friend Paul Burlison, formed the band that became ...

(singer of the 1960 hits " Dreamin'" and "

You're Sixteen "You're Sixteen" is a song written by the Sherman Brothers ( Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman). It was first performed by American rockabilly singer Johnny Burnette, whose version peaked at number eight on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 ...

") were two of the members of the 1950s band The Rock and Roll Trio, which also included

Paul Burlison Paul Burlison (February 4, 1929 – September 27, 2003) was an American rockabilly guitarist and a founding member of The Rock and Roll Trio. Burlison was born in Brownsville, Tennessee, where he was exposed to music at an early age. Aft ...

. Johnny had a son named

Rocky ''Rocky'' is a 1976 American independent film, independent sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the Rocky (film series), ''Rocky'' franchise and also star ...

, born around the time as Billy, who also became a musician.

Music career

First recording

In the late 1950s, the Burnette family moved to Los Angeles, where his father and uncle worked with

Ricky Nelson Eric Hilliard "Ricky" Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985) was an American musician and actor. From age eight, he starred alongside his family in the radio and television series ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet''. In 1957, he began a ...

. Nelson had hit songs with " Believe What You Say", written by

and

, and " It's Late", written by Dorsey. Billy Burnette made his first recording when he was seven, appearing with Ricky Nelson on the song "Hey Daddy (I'm Gonna Tell Santa On You)" ( Dot, 1960). He toured with

Brenda Lee Brenda Mae Tarpley (born December 11, 1944), known professionally as Brenda Lee, is an American singer. Primarily performing rockabilly, pop, country and Christmas music, she achieved her first ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' hit aged 12 i ...

while teaching himself to play guitar. After graduating from high school, his father took him to Memphis to meet record producer

Chips Moman Lincoln Wayne "Chips" Moman (June 12, 1937 – June 13, 2016) was an American record producer, guitarist, and songwriter. He is known for working in R&B, pop music and country music, operating American Sound Studios and producing hit albums li ...

, who had recently finished recording Presley's songs "

Suspicious Minds "Suspicious Minds" is a 1968 song written and first recorded by the American songwriter Mark James. After this recording failed commercially, it was recorded by Elvis Presley with the producer Chips Moman. Presley's version reached No.1 on th ...

" and "

In the Ghetto "In the Ghetto" (originally titled "The Vicious Circle") is a 1969 song written by Mac Davis and recorded by Elvis Presley. It was a major hit released in 1969 as a part of Presley's comeback album, ''From Elvis in Memphis'', and was also relea ...

". He went with Moman to Atlanta before going to Nashville in 1971 and collaborating with

Larry Henley Larry Joel Henley (June 30, 1937 – December 18, 2014) was an American singer and songwriter, best known for co-writing (with Jeff Silbar) the 1989 hit record " Wind Beneath My Wings". Early life Henley was born to Carl Henley and Helen Quinn in ...

. In addition to songwriting, Burnette spent three years on the road as

Roger Miller Roger Dean Miller Sr. (January 2, 1936 – October 25, 1992) was an American singer-songwriter, widely known for his honky-tonk-influenced novelty songs and his chart-topping country hits " King of the Road", "Dang Me", and " England Swing ...

's rhythm guitarist.

Early albums to 1980s

In 1972, Burnette signed with Entrance Records and recorded his debut album, ''Billy Burnette''. In 1979, he switched to

Polydor Records Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...

and released his second album, again titled ''Billy Burnette''. His third album, ''Between Friends'' (Polydor, 1979), contained "What's a Little Love Between Friends", which charted briefly on the low end of the ''Billboard'' country chart. The album also had a cover version of " (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding. After he signed with

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

, he issued the third album to be called ''Billy Burnette'' (Columbia, 1980), his fourth album overall. The song "Don't Say No" reached No. 68 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. " Honey Hush" and "Tear It Up" were performed by his father and uncle. " One Night" was a cover of an

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

song. Videos were made for the tracks "Don't Say No" and "In Just a Heartbeat". The album ''Gimme You'' followed in 1981. In 1985, Eddy Raven (" She's Gonna Win Your Heart") and

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...

("Do I Ever Cross Your Mind") reached the charts with songs written by Burnette. Other artists who have sung his songs include

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American pianist, singer, and songwriter. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock 'n' roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis m ...

, the Everly Brothers,

Gregg Allman Gregory LeNoir Allman (December 8, 1947 – May 27, 2017) was an American musician, singer and songwriter. He was known for performing in the Allman Brothers Band. Allman grew up with an interest in rhythm and blues music, and the Allman B ...

Loretta Lynn Loretta Lynn (; April 14, 1932 – October 4, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. In a career spanning six decades, Lynn released multiple gold albums. She had numerous hits such as "Hey Loretta", "The Pill (song), The P ...

, Charlie Pride,

Tanya Tucker Tanya Denise Tucker (born October 10, 1958) is an American country music singer and songwriter who had her first hit, "Delta Dawn", in 1972 at the age of 13. During her career Tucker became one of the few child performers to mature into adulthood ...

, and

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the group, us ...

. In 1986, Burnette released ''Soldier of Love''. The title track peaked at No. 54 on the country charts and remained in the top 100 for seven weeks. He was nominated for Best New Male Vocalist by the

Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller (songwriter), Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris ...

. In 1987, he wrote "(All I Can Do Is) Dream You" for

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his distinctive and powerful voice, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's most successful periods were ...

. Curb released its final Billy Burnette album, ''Brother to Brother'', a compilation with the title song added from the film '' Gleaming the Cube''.

Solo career, 1990s–present

In 1992, Burnette signed with

Capricorn Records Capricorn Records was an independent record label founded by Phil Walden and Frank Fenter in 1969 in Macon, Georgia. Capricorn Records is often credited by music historians as creating the southern rock genre. History Label and studio fou ...

, which issued ''Coming Home''. Although "Nothing to Do (and All Night to Do It)" was not on the album, it reached No. 64 on the ''Billboard'' country chart. Many of the songs from ''Coming Home'' were featured in Burnette's acting debut in the film ''Saturday Night Special''. Between 1994 and 1998, he appeared in the films ''Not Like Us'', '' Carnosaur 3: Primal Species'', '' Casper Meets Wendy'', '' Addams Family Reunion'', and '' Richie Rich's Christmas Wish''. In 1999, he signed with Grand Avenue Records and released ''All Night Long''. ''Are You With Me Baby'', a rockabilly album, followed on the Free Falls Entertainment label. The album had one cover, " Believe What You Say". Between 2001 and 2005, he covered " Copperhead Road" by

Steve Earle Stephen Fain Earle (; born January 17, 1955) is an American country, rock, and folk singer-songwriter. He began his career as a songwriter in Nashville and released his first EP in 1982. Earle's breakthrough album was his 1986 debut album '' ...

and "

Ring of Fire The Ring of Fire (also known as the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Rim of Fire, the Girdle of Fire or the Circum-Pacific belt) is a tectonic belt of volcanoes and earthquakes. It is about long and up to about wide, and surrounds most of the Pa ...

" by

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...

. He toured as a member of

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

's backup band and in 2004 became a member of

John Fogerty John Cameron Fogerty (born May 28, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. Together with Doug Clifford, Stu Cook, and his brother Tom Fogerty, he founded the swamp rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR), for which he was th ...

's band. After a hiatus from solo albums, he released ''Memphis in Manhattan'' (2006), which was recorded live by Chesky Records at St. Peter's Church in New York City. The album included cover versions of "

Everything Is Broken "Everything is Broken" is an uptempo rock song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, and released as the first single from his 1989 album '' Oh Mercy'', where it appears as the third track. It was later anthologized on th ...

" by Bob Dylan, " Oh Well by Fleetwood Mac, "Big Hunk of Love" by Elvis Presley, "It's Late" and "Tear It Up" by Rick Nelson, and " Bye Bye Love" by

The Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close-harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly and Phillip "Phil" Everly, the duo combined elements of rock and roll, country, ...

. In 2007, Burnett and Shawn Camp released a bluegrass tribute to Elvis Presley. The album featured thirteen songs previously recorded by Elvis, onto which Camp and Burnette added their vocals.

With Fleetwood Mac

Burnette met

Mick Fleetwood Michael John Kells Fleetwood (born 24 June 1947) is a British musician, songwriter and actor. He is the drummer, co-founder, and leader of the rock band Fleetwood Mac. Fleetwood, whose surname was merged with that of the group's bassist John Mc ...

during a taping of

Dick Clark Richard Wagstaff Clark (November 30, 1929April 18, 2012) was an American television and radio personality and television producer who hosted ''American Bandstand'' from 1956 to 1989. He also hosted five incarnations of the Pyramid (game show), ...

's anniversary special. A few months later, Fleetwood invited him to join the band The Zoo. For the Zoo's album ''I'm Not Me'' (

RCA RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...

, 1983) Burnette sang lead vocals on "I'm Not Me"; "Angel Come Home", a Beach Boys song; "Gimme You", a cover of his own song; and "Tear It Up", written by his father. In 1982, the Zoo performed on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

'' as the backing band for

Lindsey Buckingham Lindsey Adams Buckingham (born October 3, 1949) is an American musician, record producer, and the lead guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the Rock music, rock band Fleetwood Mac from 1975 to 1987 and 1997 to 2018. In addition to his tenure with ...

, guitarist and singer for Fleetwood Mac. In 1984, Burnette co-wrote the song "So Excited" with

Christine McVie Christine Anne McVie (; Perfect; 12 July 1943 – 30 November 2022) was an English musician. She was the keyboardist and one of the vocalists and songwriters of the rock band Fleetwood Mac. McVie was a member of several bands, notably Chic ...

, who sang and played keyboards in Fleetwood Mac. The song appeared on McVie's solo album, and Burnette appeared with her on MTV for ''Christine McVie: The Video Album''. He sang on the song "Are You Mine" with

Stevie Nicks Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasing the album ...

, another Fleetwood Mac vocalist. The song was intended for Nicks's album ''Rock a Little'' but was not included. McVie and Fleetwood performed on Burnette's album ''Try Me'' (

Curb A curb (American English) or kerb (British English) is the edge where a raised sidewalk/pavement or road median/central reservation meets a street/other roadway. History Although curbs have been used throughout modern history, and indeed ...

, 1985). Two songs cracked the ''Billboard'' country charts: "Try Me" and "Ain't It Just Like Love" When Lindsey Buckingham and Fleetwood Mac parted ways in 1987, Burnette and guitarist

Rick Vito Richard Francis Vito (born October 13, 1949) is an American guitarist and singer. He was part of Fleetwood Mac between 1987 and 1991. Vito took over as lead guitarist after Lindsey Buckingham left the group. He is best known for his blues and ...

were asked to join the band. After the Shake the Cage tour, Fleetwood Mac released a ''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

'' album (1988), featuring two new songs with Burnette and Vito: " As Long as You Follow" and " No Questions Asked". For their next album, '' Behind the Mask'', Burnette wrote "Hard Feelings" and "When It Comes to Love" and co-wrote " In the Back of My Mind", "Do You Know", and "When the Sun Goes Down". Vito and Nicks left Fleetwood Mac at the end of 1991 and Christine McVie decided to retire from touring. Burnette helped Fleetwood Mac bassist

John McVie John Graham McVie (; born 26 November 1945) is a British bass guitarist. He is best known as a member of the rock bands John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers from 1964 to 1967 and Fleetwood Mac since 1967. His surname, combined with that of drummer ...

with his first solo album. Burnette left Fleetwood Mac in early 1993 to pursue a solo and acting career. In 1994, Burnette reunited with Fleetwood Mac. The band featured two new members, vocalist Bekka Bramlett and guitarist

Dave Mason David Thomas Mason (born 10 May 1946) is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist from Worcester, who came to prominence in 1967 as a founding member of the rock band Traffic. While with Traffic, he wrote and sang lead vocals on two of the b ...

. The band toured in 1994 and 1995, and then released the album ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' (1995) on October 10, 1995. Burnette wrote "Talkin' to My Heart" and "I Got It in for You" with Deborah Allen. With Bramlett he wrote "Dreamin' the Dream". After Fleetwood Mac went on hiatus in 1996, Burnette and Bramlett formed the country duo

Bekka & Billy Bekka & Billy was an American country music duo consisting of singer-songwriters Bekka Bramlett and Billy Burnette, who first worked together as members of Fleetwood Mac. Their eponymous debut album was released by Almo Sounds in April 1997. W ...

. They moved to Nashville and attracted the attention of producer Garth Fundis. They released the album ''Bekka and Billy'' in 1997 but they broke up in 1998.

Discography

Albums

* ''Billy Burnette'' (Entrance, 1972) * ''Billy Burnette'' (

Polydor Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...

, 1979) * ''Between Friends'' (Polydor, 1979) * ''Billy Burnette'' ( Columbia, 1980) * ''Gimme You'' (Columbia, 1981) * ''Try Me'' (

, 1985) * ''Soldier of Love'' (Curb, 1986) * ''Brother to Brother'' (Curb, 1988) * ''Coming Home'' ( Capricorn, 1993) * ''Bekka & Billy'' ( Almo, 1997) (with Bekka Bramlett) * ''All Night Long'' (Grand Avenue, 1999) * ''Are You With Me Baby'' (Free Falls, 2000) * ''Memphis in Manhattan'' ( Chesky, 2006) * ''The Bluegrass Elvises, Volume 1'' (American Roots, 2007) (with Shawn Camp) * ''Rock & Roll With It'' (Rock & Roll With It, 2011) * ''Crazy Like Me'' (Rock & Roll With It, 2017) With Fleetwood Mac * ''

'' (WEA/Warner Bros., 1988) * '' Behind the Mask'' (WEA/Warner Bros, 1990) * ''25 Years: The Chain'' (

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

, 1992) * ''

'' (WEA/Warner Brothers, 1995) * '' The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac'' (

Reprise In music, a reprise ( , ; from the verb 'to resume') is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the 18th century—was simply any re ...

, 2002) Other contributions * ''I'm Not Me'', Mick Fleetwood's Zoo, (

, 1984) * ''

Just One of the Guys ''Just One of the Guys'' is a 1985 American teen comedy film directed by Lisa Gottlieb and co-written by Dennis Feldman and Jeff Franklin. It is a loose adaptation of William Shakespeare's ''Twelfth Night''. The film stars Joyce Hyser, C ...

'' ( Elektra, 1985) * ''

Summer School Summer school (or summer university) is a school, or a program generally sponsored by a school or a school district, or provided by a private company, that provides lessons and activities during the summer vacation. Participation in summer school ...

'' (

Chrysalis A pupa (; : pupae) is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their life cycle, the stages the ...

, 1986) * ''Homer and Eddie'' (Apache, 1989) * '' John McVie's "Gotta Band" with Lola Thomas'' (Warner Bros., 1992) * ''Bikers' Choice, Vol. 1'', Steel Cowboys (Intersound, 1999) * '' Dressed in Black: A Tribute to Johnny Cash'' (Dualtone, 2002) * '' In the Meantime'',

(Koch, 2004)

Singles

Music videos

* "Don't Say No" (1980) * "In Just a Heartbeat" (1980) * "As Long As You Follow" (with Fleetwood Mac) (1988) * "In the Back of My Mind" (with Fleetwood Mac) (1990) * "Save Me" (with Fleetwood Mac) (1990) * "Skies the Limit" (with Fleetwood Mac) (1990) * "Love Shines" (with Fleetwood Mac) (1992) * "Nothin' to Do (And All Night to Do It)" (1992) * "Tangled Up in Texas" (1993) * "The Bigger the Love (The Harder the Fall)" (1993) * "Better Days" (as Bekka and Billy) (1997)

Filmography

* ''Fleetwood Mac – Tango in the Night'' (1987) as himself * '' Saturday Night Special'' (1994) as Travis * ''Not Like Us'' (1995) as Jody * '' Carnosaur 3: Primal Species'' (1995) as Furguson * '' Casper Meets Wendy'' (1998) as a chef * '' Addams Family Reunion'' (1998) as a ballroom waiter * '' Richie Rich's Christmas Wish'' (1998) as Nigel * ''John Fogerty – The Long Road Home in Concert'' (2006) as himself * ''John Fogerty – Live at the Royal Albert Hall'' (2008) as himself

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Rock-a-Billy Hall of Fame Biography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Burnette, Billy 1953 births Living people Musicians from Memphis, Tennessee Fleetwood Mac members American rock guitarists American rhythm guitarists American rockabilly guitarists American male guitarists American country rock singers American country singer-songwriters Resonator guitarists American male singer-songwriters American country guitarists Chesky Records artists Guitarists from Tennessee 20th-century American guitarists Singer-songwriters from Tennessee