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Billy Burnette

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Billy Burnette
Birth nameDorsey William Burnette III
Born(1953-05-08)May 8, 1953(age 71)
Memphis,Tennessee, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter
Instrument(s)Guitar, vocals
Years active1960–present
LabelsEntrance,Polydor,Columbia,Warner Bros.,Capricorn
Websitewww.billyburnette.net

Dorsey William Burnette III(born May 8, 1953, inMemphis, Tennessee,United States)[1]is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter who was part of the bandFleetwood Macfrom 1987 to 1996. Burnette also had a brief career in acting.

Family background

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The son ofDorsey Burnetteand Alberta Burnette, Billy Burnette was born into a musical family.[1]His father and his uncleJohnny Burnette[1](singer of the 1960 hits "Dreamin'"and"You're Sixteen") were two of the members of the 1950s bandThe Rock and Roll Trio,which also includedPaul Burlison.Johnny had a son namedRocky,born around the time as Billy, who also became a musician.[1]

Music career

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First recording

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In the late 1950s, the Burnette family moved to Los Angeles, where his father and uncle worked withRicky Nelson.Nelson had hit songs with "Believe What You Say",written byDorsey BurnetteandJohnny Burnette,and "It's Late",written by Dorsey.

Billy Burnette made his first recording when he was seven,[1]appearing with Ricky Nelson on the song "Hey Daddy (I'm Gonna Tell Santa On You)" (Dot,1960).[2]

He toured withBrenda Lee[2]while teaching himself to play guitar. After graduating from high school, his father took him to Memphis to meet record producerChips Moman,who had recently finished recording Presley's songs "Suspicious Minds"and"In the Ghetto".He went with Moman to Atlanta before going to Nashville in 1971 and collaborating withLarry Henley.In addition to songwriting, Burnette spent three years on the road asRoger Miller's rhythm guitarist.

Early albums to 1980s

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In 1972, Burnette signed with Entrance Records and recorded his debut album,Billy Burnette.[1]In 1979, he switched toPolydor Recordsand released his second album, again titledBilly Burnette.[2]His third album,Between Friends(Polydor, 1979), contained "What's a Little Love Between Friends",[3]which charted briefly on the low end of theBillboardcountry chart.[2]The album also had a cover version of "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay"by Otis Redding.[3]

After he signed withColumbia Records,he issued the third album to be calledBilly Burnette(Columbia, 1980), his fourth album overall.[4]The song "Don't Say No" reached No. 68 on theBillboardHot 100. "Honey Hush"and" Tear It Up "were performed by his father and uncle."One Night"was a cover of anElvis Presleysong. Videos were made for the tracks "Don't Say No" and "In Just a Heartbeat". The albumGimme Youfollowed in 1981.[1]

In 1985,Eddy Raven( "She's Gonna Win Your Heart") andRay Charles( "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" ) reached the charts with songs written by Burnette.[2]Other artists who have sung his songs includeJerry Lee Lewis,the Everly Brothers,Gregg Allman,Loretta Lynn,Charlie Pride,Tanya Tucker,andRingo Starr.

In 1986, Burnette releasedSoldier 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 theAcademy of Country Music.[2]In 1987, he wrote "(All I Can Do Is) Dream You" forRoy Orbison.Curb released its final Billy Burnette album,Brother to Brother,a compilation with the title song added from the filmGleaming the Cube.

Solo career, 1990s–present

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In 1992, Burnette signed withCapricorn Records,which issuedComing Home.[2]Although "Nothing to Do (and All Night to Do It)" was not on the album, it reached No. 64 on theBillboardcountry chart. Many of the songs fromComing Homewere featured in Burnette's acting debut in the filmSaturday Night Special.Between 1994 and 1998, he appeared in the filmsNot Like Us,Carnosaur 3: Primal Species,Casper Meets Wendy,Addams Family Reunion,andRichie Rich's Christmas Wish.

In 1999, he signed with Grand Avenue Records and releasedAll 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"bySteve Earleand "Ring of Fire"byJohnny Cash.He toured as a member ofBob Dylan's backup band and in 2004 became a member ofJohn Fogerty's band.

After a hiatus from solo albums, he releasedMemphis in Manhattan(2006),[2]which was recorded live byChesky Recordsat St. Peter's Church in New York City. The album included cover versions of "Everything Is Broken"by Bob Dylan,"Oh Wellby Fleetwood Mac, "Big Hunk of Love" by Elvis Presley, "It's Late" and "Tear It Up" by Rick Nelson, and "Bye Bye Love"byThe Everly Brothers.

In 2007, Burnett andShawn Campreleased abluegrasstribute to Elvis Presley.[2]The album featured thirteen songs previously recorded by Elvis, onto which Camp and Burnette added their vocals.

With Fleetwood Mac

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Burnette metMick Fleetwoodduring a taping ofDick Clark's anniversary special. A few months later, Fleetwood invited him to join the band The Zoo.[1]For the Zoo's albumI'm Not Me(RCA,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 onSaturday Night Liveas the backing band forLindsey Buckingham,guitarist and singer for Fleetwood Mac. In 1984, Burnette co-wrote the song "So Excited" withChristine McVie,who sang and played keyboards in Fleetwood Mac. The song appeared on McVie's solo album, and Burnette appeared with her on MTV forChristine McVie: The Video Album.He sang on the song "Are You Mine" withStevie Nicks,another Fleetwood Mac vocalist. The song was intended for Nicks's albumRock a Littlebut was not included. McVie and Fleetwood performed on Burnette's albumTry Me(Curb,1985).[1]Two songs cracked theBillboardcountry charts: "Try Me" and "Ain't It Just Like Love"

When Lindsey Buckingham and Fleetwood Mac parted ways in 1987, Burnette and guitaristRick Vitowere asked to join the band.[1]After theShake the Cage tour,Fleetwood Mac released aGreatest Hitsalbum (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 bassistJohn McViewith 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, vocalistBekka Bramlettand guitaristDave Mason.The band toured in 1994 and 1995, and then released the albumTime(1995) on October 10, 1995. Burnette wrote "Talkin' to My Heart" and "I Got It in for You" withDeborah Allen.With Bramlett he wrote "Dreamin' the Dream".[5]

After Fleetwood Mac went on hiatus in 1996, Burnette and Bramlett formed the country duoBekka & Billy.They moved to Nashville and attracted the attention of producerGarth Fundis.They released the albumBekka and Billyin 1997 but they broke up in 1998.[6]

Discography

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Albums

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  • Billy Burnette(Entrance, 1972)
  • Billy Burnette(Polydor,1979)
  • Between Friends(Polydor, 1979)
  • Billy Burnette(Columbia,1980)
  • Gimme You(Columbia, 1981)
  • Try Me(Curb,1985)
  • Soldier of Love(Curb, 1986)
  • Brother to Brother(Curb, 1988)
  • Coming Home(Capricorn,1993)
  • Bekka & Billy(Almo,1997) (withBekka 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) (withShawn Camp)
  • Rock & Roll With It(Rock & Roll With It, 2011)
  • Crazy Like Me(Rock & Roll With It, 2017)

With Fleetwood Mac

Other contributions

Singles

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Year Single Peak chart
positions 		Album
US Country
[7] 		US
[8]
1979 "What's a Little Love Between Friends" 76 — Between Friends
1980 "Don't Say No" — 68 Billy Burnette
1985 "Ain't It Just Like Love" 51 — Try Me
"Try Me" 68 —
1986 "Soldier of Love" 54 — Soldier of Love
1992 "Nothin' to Do (And All Night to Do It)" 64 — —
1993 "Tangled Up in Texas" — — Coming Home
"The Bigger the Love (The Harder the Fall)" — —
2023 "When the World Comes Back Around" — — —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Music videos

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  • "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

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Awards and nominations

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Year Organization Award Nominee/Work Result
1986 Academy of Country Music Awards Top New Male Vocalist Billy Burnette Nominated

References

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  1. ^abcdefghijColin Larkin,ed. (1992).The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music(First ed.).Guinness Publishing.p. 370.ISBN0-85112-939-0.
  2. ^abcdefghiBush, John."Billy Burnette | Biography & History | AllMusic".AllMusic.Retrieved5 January2017.
  3. ^ab"Billy Burnette - Between Friends".Discogs.Retrieved5 January2017.
  4. ^"Billy Burnette - Billy Burnette".Discogs.Retrieved5 January2017.
  5. ^Greene, Andy (2023-03-09)."What It Was Like to Replace Stevie Nicks in Fleetwood Mac".Rolling Stone.Retrieved2023-04-28.
  6. ^"Melbourne Herald Sun (08/10/1997), Bekka & Billy".The Blue Letter Archives.10 August 1997. Archived fromthe originalon 30 December 2015.Retrieved22 October2023.
  7. ^Whitburn, Joel (2013).Hot Country Songs 1944–2012.Record Research, Inc. p. 58.ISBN978-0-89820-203-8.
  8. ^"Billy Burnette | Billboard".Billboard.RetrievedFebruary 5,2021.
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