Johnny Burnette And The Rock ‘n Roll Trio, Johnny Burnette ‎– Johnny Burnette And The Rock ‘n Roll Trio + Dreamin’

It’s tempting to wonder what would have become of Johnny Burnette had he not gone fishing on that fateful night in 1964. His story and songs chart his evolution from a raw rockabilly singer into a successful crooner, pop singer and songwriter. He was on the verge of another creative breakthrough when he was killed in a boating accident at 30 years old. Shortly before his death, Burnette had managed to become a genuine teen idol, hitting the Top Ten with bestsellers like “You’re Sixteen” (which would become a rock & roll standard) and “Dreamin’”.

The intriguing story of Johnny Burnette (Memphis, March 25, 1934 – Clear Lake, August 14, 1964) during his early days with The Rock ‘n Roll Trio, touches on several different areas of rock & roll history. The members of the trio consisted of Paul Burlison (born in Brownsville, Tennessee in 1929), and brothers Dorsey (born in Memphis in 1932) and Johnny Burnette (born in Memphis in 1934). All three were boxers as young men (Dorsey and Johnny had even become Golden Gloves champions) who shared a passion for music. As a group, these contemporaries of Elvis Presley were pioneers in the early days of rock but sadly produced no top forty hits (also Johnny —like Elvis— made some early records that reflected the rich musical heritage of the Tennessee area before later moving on to a style that the parents ofteens probably found less threatening).