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Paul Burlison, of course, has known the sons of Johnny and Dorsey Burnette "since they were babies." As he recently told Jas Obrecht for Guitar Player Magazine, when recounting how first-borns Rocky and Billy inspired the naming of "Rock Billy Boogie," he said "When we used to rehearse over at Johnny and Dorsey's house, they'd each get their little toy guitar with the crank on the side and use a toilet plunger as their mike. They'd wiggle around and jump up and down, just like they was onstage. [Laughs.] They're great to work with." So it is only natural that Rocky Burnette has had a long and historic working relationship with his father's legendary guitarist. From 1981 through 1986, Rocky performed with his father's last version of the Rock 'n Roll Trio, which also included Johnny Black on bass and Tony Austin on drums. After Paul Burlison's three year stint with the Sun Rhythm Section, Rocky reunited with him in 1990 along with original Elvis Presley drummer D.J. Fontana and, with Johnny Black having retired, Roland Janes on stand-up bass for international performances. Fontana had previously sat in as a member of the Rock 'n Roll Trio in 1986 when Tony Austin was ill. Suffering diabetes, Tony did try to return to the Trio lineup for a performance in the early 1990s. Unfortunately Tony, who is now legally blind, had a difficult time seeing. D.J. Fontana then remained their drummer through 1994.
Rocky Burnette and Paul Burlison continued appearing throughout Europe with backup provided by such renown European rockers as Johnny & The Roccos and Daryl Higham & The Enforcers. They also teamed up with The Starbucks from Holland, who have since become Rocky Burnette's main band. 1997 was the year Rocky Burnette became an integral part of Paul Burlison's first solo album. In 1980, Paul had produced "Johnny Burnette's Rock and Roll Trio and their Rockin' Friends from Memphis" in "A Tribute To Johnny and Dorsey Burnette." Released on Paul's own Rock-A-Billy Records, that LP featured Paul, Johnny Black and Tony Austin with an all-star Rockabilly lineup that included Eddie Bond, Malcolm Yelvington, Jim Dickinson, Marcus Van Story, Charlie Feathers, Johnny Foster, J.M. Van Eaton, Robert Geisley, Al Hobson, Glenn Honeycutt, and J.L. "Smoochie" Smith, and was recorded with a raw "live" feel at Sam Phillips Recording Services' old Sun Studio.
Now with Jim Weider, of The Band, producing, Rocky Burnette and cousin Billy Burnette were at the top of an all-star lineup that included Rick Danko and Levon Helm of The Band, David Hidalgo, Cesar Rosas, and Conrad Rozano of Los Lobos, Mavis Staples, and Kim Wilson of the Fabulous Thunderbirds.
The highlight of Paul's solo debut album is the historic remake of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame recording of which Guitar Shop magazine said, "The first ever distorted, fuzz-tone guitar sound shocked the music world when "Train Kept A-Rollin'" b/w "Honey Hush", by Johnny Burnette And The Rock 'n' Roll Trio, was released on Coral Records in 1956. "Train" has since become a Rock standard, reworked by the Yardbirds (with Jeff Beck) in the '60s and Aerosmith in the '70s." "With Rocky and Billy Burnette huffing vocals, Paul's remake of "Train Kept A-Rollin'" rivals the original, right down to the fuzzed-out solo," raved Guitar Player magazine, with the 68-year-old Burlison being told outright "Your new record kicks butt!" The guitar legend enthusiastically replied "Yeah! That's what everybody says. Rocky and Billy are singing their butts off on "Train Kept A-Rollin'." "This is vital, urgent music, played with uncommon passion and skill that transcends any era," wrote Rege Behe in the Greensburg Tribune Review. Ron Oermann, of Music Row, said the CD title song is "Rockabilly stripped to its purest essentials!" Scripps Howard News Service called it "A rocker's delight," and the Album Network said "Yeah, this is the way this kinda rock's supposed to sound!" Also featuring Rocky Burnette singing lead on his composition "Trouble Is I'm In Love With You," the CD was acclaimed as "A welcomed arrival" by Johnny Whiteside in the L.A. Weekly. "There's really not a bad track on the disc," wrote Dick Hogan in the Cedar Rapids Gazette. The New Jersey Star-Ledger's Jay Lustig said "This collection of rip-roaring rockers and affecting ballads is a consistent delight." "Easily one of my favorite records of the past few years....there haven't been too many records made lately that could better this effort.GET THIS CD," said John Heidt in Vintage Guitar, while Bob Cianci told River Reporter readers to "Get the hell out there and buy this excellent album!"
The Rockman got on the phone to Holland and told his band they were coming to the United States. Without knowing of the unexpected troubles ahead, excitement built for a series of roof-raising dates that will be treasured forever by those lucky enough to have experienced a part of it. By Hank Zevallos, Copyright (c) 1999More ROCKY & PAUL ~ Page 2 |
Recorded at Master Link Studio, Nashville, Tennessee, Levon Helm Studio, Woodstock, New York, and Sweetfish Recording Studios, Argyle, New York, the CD features an enhanced CD-ROM facility from Sweetfish Records Interactive, including a Quicktime movie from the recording sessions, with Jim Weider producing and playing guitar, photos of the Johnny Burnette Trio, and interviews with Paul Burlison.
With all of this happening, it looked like it was certainly time for Rocky and Paul to do their first extensive tour of the United States. BLUE SUEDE NEWS magazine, the "House Organ Of The Church Of Rock 'N' Roll," had just featured Rocky Burnette in an exclusive cover story interview which Assistant Editor Dennis DeWitt had concluded with his commentary that "Rocky's new CD ("Tear It Up") highlights the reality that today the future is wide open for Rocky Burnette. He's proven that he's a great songwriter (Percy Sledge just had a hit in Europe with one of Rocky's songs) and a hit maker. As a live on stage performer he continues to be a force to be reckoned with... the last chapter has yet to be written on the Burnette family in rockabilly and country music. We will continue to enjoy this rich musical heritage heritage for many years to come."
