Dorsey Burnette (US)

1932 – 1979 In memoriam

American singer, bass player and songwriter from Memphis, born in 1932, elder brother of Johnny Burnette. He played double bass in the Rock and Roll Trio until he walked out after a fight at a Niagara Falls date in the autumn of 1956. With Johnny he wrote 'Believe What You Say' and 'It's Late' for Ricky Nelson, and had his own hit in 1960 with '(There Was a) Tall Oak Tree'. He turned to country in the 1970s and placed fifteen singles on the country chart. He died of a heart attack in Canoga Park, California on 19 August 1979.