Heinz Burt (24 July 1942 – 7 April 2000) was a German-born British

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm ...

bassist and singer who performed under the stage name Heinz. He was also known as a member of instrumental group

the Tornados The Tornados (The Tornadoes in North America) were an English instrumental rock group of the 1960s that acted as backing group for many of record producer Joe Meek's productions and also for singer Billy Fury. They enjoyed several chart hi ...

Life

Heinz was born in

Detmold Detmold () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with a population of . It was the capital of the small Principality of Lippe from 1468 until 1918 and then of the Free State of Lippe until 1947. Today it is the administrative center of t ...

, Germany, but from the age of seven was brought up in Eastleigh,

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

, England. His German father had been killed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

and his mother decided to move to Britain. Heinz was influenced by the US singer

Eddie Cochran Ray Edward Cochran (; October 3, 1938 – April 17, 1960) was an American rock and roll musician. Cochran's songs, such as "Twenty Flight Rock", "Summertime Blues", "C'mon Everybody" and " Somethin' Else", captured teenage frustration and desire ...

and played in a local Eastleigh group, the Falcons, in the 1950s. Working in a

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

grocery shop Heinz came to the attention of record producer Joe Meek, becoming his protégé. Meek styled Heinz's image, which included persuading him to

peroxide In chemistry, peroxides are a group of compounds with the structure , where R = any element. The group in a peroxide is called the peroxide group or peroxo group. The nomenclature is somewhat variable. The most common peroxide is hydrogen p ...

his hair. Heinz was a member of

, famous for their multi-million selling hit " Telstar". With Meek in love with Heinz, he struggled to launch him on a solo career. Due to the inadequacies of Heinz's voice, his vocals on his first single "Dreams Do Come True" were over-dubbed by another singer, a Meek artist named Mark Douglas or Billy Gray, but whose real name was William Halsey. The single was a commercial failure. With Meek vigorously promoting Heinz, he was sent on a tour with Gene Vincent and

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

. Audiences did not take to him, and he was attacked on stage and had

beans A bean is the seed of several plants in the family Fabaceae, which are used as vegetables for human or animal food. They can be cooked in many different ways, including boiling, frying, and baking, and are used in many traditional dishes thr ...

thrown over him (to a contemporary audience 'Heinz' would have been associated with Heinz Baked Beans). Heinz's next and biggest-selling solo hit was " Just Like Eddie", a tribute to

. Its success coincided with the emergence of

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

and was the high point of commercial success for Heinz. Two successful EPs, ''Heinz'' and ''Live It Up'', followed, and 1963 he appeared in the British music-film '' Live It Up!'' as Ron. Following a well-received tour with Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas and

Bobby Rydell Robert Louis Ridarelli (April 26, 1942 – April 5, 2022), known by the stage name Bobby Rydell, was an American singer and actor who mainly performed rock and roll and traditional pop music. In the early 1960s he was considered a teen idol. Hi ...

, Heinz was seen as belonging to an era of rock and roll as the more modern

Merseybeat Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a British popular music genre that developed, particularly in and around Liverpool, in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The genre melded influences from American rock and roll, rhythm and blues, skiffle ...

became more popular. He covered the

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

song "

Don't Think Twice, It's Alright "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" is a song written by Bob Dylan in 1962, recorded on November 14 that year, and released on the 1963 album ''The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan'' and as the b-side of the ''Blowin' in the Wind'' single. The song was cov ...

", which was another commercial failure. A move from the

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in We ...

label to EMI saw him gain a minor hit with "Diggin' My Potatoes". Differences of a professional and personal level with Meek appeared, and with Heinz introducing his girlfriend to Meek their relationship faltered. Although he had lived briefly in Meek's flat, further disagreements over

royalties A royalty payment is a payment made by one party to another that owns a particular asset, for the right to ongoing use of that asset. Royalties are typically agreed upon as a percentage of gross or net revenues derived from the use of an asset o ...

saw him move out, leaving some possessions behind including a shotgun. It was this shotgun with which Meek killed his landlady and then himself in 1967, and although Heinz was questioned by police, they concluded he had nothing to do with their deaths. Meek's death ended Heinz's recording career as a solo artist, and he worked outside the music industry including in advertising at a local newspaper, ''The Dagenham Post''. Although often dismissed as a mediocre talent pushed into the spotlight by Meek, Heinz was an enthusiastic performer, and worked in

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speakin ...

and theatre in the 1970s, including a role in David Hare's ''

Teeth 'n' Smiles ''Teeth 'n' Smiles'' is a musical play written by David Hare. Performances The play was first performed at the Royal Court Theatre on 2 September 1975. It was subsequently revived at Wyndhams Theatre in May 1976 (directed by the playwright), ...

'' in 1976, as a dim-witted would-be rock star. In later years, he appeared in 1960s revival shows and continued performing until the end; his last set was from a wheelchair at a social club two weeks before his death.

Backing groups

He was initially backed by the Saints, a band that included

Roy Phillips Roy Godfrey Phillips (born 5 May 1941, in Parkstone, Poole, Dorset) is a British musician. He was a member of The Soundtracks (a backing group of The Dowlands), The Saints and The Peddlers. Background Phillips is known as the voice and keyboa ...

, guitar, and

Tab Martin Tab Martin (born Alan Raymond Brearley, December 24, 1944) is an English bass guitarist. He has been a member of well-known English bands from the 1960s. He was a member of the Tornados and played on their hit "Globetrotter". He was also a membe ...

, bass. His later backing groups (the Wild Ones or the Wild Boys) featured Ritchie Blackmore and others. Mick Underwood, Chas Hodges, Blackmore, and others performed on " Just Like Eddie" as members of the Outlaws. Heinz performed at

the London Rock and Roll Show The London Rock and Roll Show was a concert held at Wembley Stadium in Wembley Park, London, England, on 5 August 1972. It is often said to have been the first ever concert held at the stadium, but a pop concert featuring the bands Status Quo an ...

in 1972, with Wilko Johnson of Dr Feelgood in his backing band, as shown in the documentary ''Oil City Confidential''.

Sexuality

He was portrayed by JJ Feild in '' Telstar'', a film about the life of Joe Meek, which was released in 2009. The film depicts him as Meek's gay lover at a time when homosexual acts were illegal in the United Kingdom. His family have denied that he was homosexual and have stated that the film is a slur on his life. His former wife, Della Burke, who was married to Heinz at the height of his success said "It is completely and utterly untrue. Heinz was definitely heterosexual." In the 1991 BBC documentary, ''The Very Strange Story of... the Legendary Joe Meek'', when asked if Meek was in love with him, Heinz replied "Yes. It's an infatuation ... that was the thing with him, where I told him to get off, that I wasn't into that sort of thing ... if there's something you can't have you want it even more".

Death

Crippled by

motor neurone disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most commo ...

, Heinz died in 2000, aged 57 following a stroke. He was cremated at Eastleigh Crematorium in Hampshire.

Discography

UK singles

*"Dreams Do Come True" (Meek) / "Been Invited to a Party" (Meek, Burt) – 1963 – Decca F 11652 *" Just Like Eddie" ( Goddard) / "Don't You Knock on My Door" – 1963 – Decca F11693 – UK No. 5 *"I Get Up in the Morning" (Meek) / "Talk Like A Man" / "That Lucky Old Sun" / "Lonely River" (Meek) – 1963 – Decca DFE 8545 *"Live It Up" (Meek) / "Don't You Understand" (Meek) / "When Your Loving Goes Wrong" (Meek) – 1963 – Decca DFE 8559 *"Country Boy" ( Geoff Goddard) / "Long Tall Jack" (Meek/Lawrence) – 1963 – Decca F11768 – UK No. 26 *"You Were There" ( Geoff Goddard) / "No Matter What They Say" (Meek/Lawrence) – 1964 – Decca F 11831 – UK No. 26 *"Please Little Girl" / "For Loving Me This Way" (Meek) – 1964 – Decca F 11920 *"Questions I Can't Answer" / "Beating of My Heart" (Meek) – 1964 – Columbia DB7374 – UK No. 39 *"Diggin' My Potatoes" (Trad, arr. Meek/Burt) / "She Ain't Coming Back" – 1965 – Columbia DB7482 – Heinz & Wild Boys – UK No. 49 *"End of the World" / "You Make Me Feel So Good" (Meek) – 1965 – Columbia DB 7656 *"Heart Full Of Sorrow" / "Don't Worry Baby" (Meek /Stephen Reading) – 1965 – Columbia DB 7779 *"

Don't Think Twice, It's All Right "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" is a song written by Bob Dylan in 1962, recorded on November 14 that year, and released on the 1963 album ''The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan'' and as the b-side of the ''Blowin' in the Wind'' single. The song was cov ...

" ( Dylan) / "Big Fat Spider" (Meek/Davis) – 1965 – Columbia DB7559 – Heinz & Wild Boys *"Movin' In" ( Adams) / "I'm Not A Bad Guy" ( J. Allison) – 1966 – Columbia DB 7942 *"Country Boy" ( Geoff Goddard) / "Just Like Eddie" ( Geoff Goddard) (Re-Recordings) – 1981 – Cargo CRS 010

US singles

*1964: "Questions I Can't Answer" / "Beating of My Heart" – Tower 110 *1965: "Digging My Potatoes" / "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" – Tower 172 *1965: "Don't Worry Baby" / "Heart Full Of Sorrow" – Tower 195 *1966: "Movin' In" / "I'm Not A Bad Guy" – Tower 253

Albums

*''Tribute to Eddie'' (Decca LK 4599, 1964) *Live album – Various Artists; ''Live at

The Cavern The Cavern Club is a nightclub on Mathew Street, Liverpool, England. The Cavern Club opened in 1957 as a jazz club, later becoming a centre of the rock and roll scene in Liverpool in the late 50s and early 1960s. The club became closely asso ...

'':"I Got A Woman" (live) / "Somebody To Love" (live) (Decca SLK 16294, 1965)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Burt, Heinz 1942 births 2000 deaths 20th-century English singers 20th-century German musicians 20th-century bass guitarists English pop singers Columbia Records artists People with motor neuron disease Decca Records artists English rock bass guitarists Male bass guitarists German emigrants to England German bass guitarists German male singers German pop singers Musicians from Hampshire People from Detmold People from Eastleigh 20th-century British male singers The Tornados members German male guitarists