Dorsey Burnette (December 28, 1932 - August 19, 1979) was an early Rockabil… Read Full Bio ↴Dorsey Burnette (December 28, 1932 - August 19, 1979) was an early Rockabilly singer from Memphis, Tennessee and with his younger brother Johnny Burnette and a friend named Paul Burlison was one of the founder members of The Rock and Roll Trio.
The ‘e’ at the end of the name was added later. His younger brother John Joseph (Johnny) was born nearly fifteen months later on March 25, 1934. The Burnette Brothers grew up in a public housing project in the Lauderdale Courts area of Memphis, which from 1948 until 1954, was also the home of Gladys and Vernon Presley and their son, Elvis.
In November 1957, the brothers were approached by songwriter John Marascalco, who had written Ready Teddy and Rip It Up for Little Richard, as well as Good Night My Love and other hits. He was looking for a singer to help him with a new song called Bertha Lou. Dorsey and Johnny went into the Master Recorders Studio in Hollywood and backed by Odell Hull (lead guitar), Danny Flores (piano) and H B Barnum (drums) cut two tracks, Bertha Lou and ‘Till The Law Says Stop. It was originally planned that Johnny should sing the lead vocals, but when he recalled that he was still under contract to Coral Records, Dorsey suggested that nobody would care if he sang the song. The vocal duties were switched, with Johnny singing some of the backing vocals. The two sides were released as a single (Surf SR5019-45) under Dorsey’s name. Contrary to expectations, however, Coral threatened to sue and so label owner, Kenny Babcock withdrew the record. Not wishing for the session to be completely wasted, however, Babcock had Dorsey’s voice overdubbed with that of one of his own singers, Johnny Faire (also known as John Faircloth). Surf SR5019-45 was subsequently re-released as by Johnny Faire. Johnny Faire was later to change his name and find fame as Donnie Brooks.
The ‘e’ at the end of the name was added later. His younger brother John Joseph (Johnny) was born nearly fifteen months later on March 25, 1934. The Burnette Brothers grew up in a public housing project in the Lauderdale Courts area of Memphis, which from 1948 until 1954, was also the home of Gladys and Vernon Presley and their son, Elvis.
In November 1957, the brothers were approached by songwriter John Marascalco, who had written Ready Teddy and Rip It Up for Little Richard, as well as Good Night My Love and other hits. He was looking for a singer to help him with a new song called Bertha Lou. Dorsey and Johnny went into the Master Recorders Studio in Hollywood and backed by Odell Hull (lead guitar), Danny Flores (piano) and H B Barnum (drums) cut two tracks, Bertha Lou and ‘Till The Law Says Stop. It was originally planned that Johnny should sing the lead vocals, but when he recalled that he was still under contract to Coral Records, Dorsey suggested that nobody would care if he sang the song. The vocal duties were switched, with Johnny singing some of the backing vocals. The two sides were released as a single (Surf SR5019-45) under Dorsey’s name. Contrary to expectations, however, Coral threatened to sue and so label owner, Kenny Babcock withdrew the record. Not wishing for the session to be completely wasted, however, Babcock had Dorsey’s voice overdubbed with that of one of his own singers, Johnny Faire (also known as John Faircloth). Surf SR5019-45 was subsequently re-released as by Johnny Faire. Johnny Faire was later to change his name and find fame as Donnie Brooks.
The Greatest Love
Dorsey Burnette Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'The Greatest Love' by these artists:
Aaron Neville You have a love that buys you pretty clothes All the…
Chicago It's a long distance love affair Tender are the moments tha…
Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint The greatest love I ever loved Was the love I…
Hugo Montenegro The greatest love - 1971 (South) Hugo montenegro You are th…
Hugo Montenegro & His Orchestra and Chorus You have a love that buys you pretty clothes And all…
In Reverent Fear Im just to sleep under your stairs You lonely witch you…
Ivoryline I'm in love, and I know that you are too,…
J.A.M.E.S. WATTS Baby, i'm glad that I have you here now When I…
J.P. I believe that children are our future; Teach them well and…
Jamali (Yeah hey, yeah) There was a time When I believed You'd be …
Joe South Whoa, oh, whoa, oh Your other love buys you pretty clothes …
Majozi there is something about the way that the light touches your…
Montenegro Hugo You have a love that buys you pretty clothes And all…
Phil Driscoll 1.In this world we need someone that we can trust. Someone…
Scott Fagan You lay with me Girl, in fields made of dirt…
The Gentle Storm "Dear diary, I have a wonderful news to share with…
The Neville Brothers You have a love that buys you pretty clothes All the…
Timothy James Bowen You could cut his words As they had tore the air It's…
Tori Harper Once in royal David′s city Stood a lowly cattle shed Where a…
We have lyrics for these tracks by Dorsey Burnette:
A Tall Oak Tree There was a tall oak tree That loved a babblin brook, And…
Hey Little One Hey, little one So far from home And all alone Hey, little …
I've Got The Sun In The Morning Got no mansion, got no yacht Still I'm happy with what…
It's Late It's late (it's late) We gotta get on home It's…
Suddenly There's A Valley When you've climbed the highest mountain When a cloud holds…
Tall Oak Tree There was a tall oak tree That loved a babblin brook, And…
That Lucky Old Sun Up in the mornin' out on the job, work like…
The Feminine Touch Oh I'm so glad, that he took a rib from…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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Charles C
One of the most underrated and underplayed songs of the l960s. The words convey the tragedy of one who overcame the selfishness of owning someone's love by placing the happiness of the woman he loved above his own: If you love someone, then set them free.
sauquoit13456
On this day in 1969 {January 11th} Dorsey Burnette performed "The Greatest Love" on the late Dick Clark's 'American Bandstand'... Exactly two weeks later on January 25th it entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; eventually it peaked at #67 and spent 6 weeks on the Top 100... It reached #57 on the Canadian RPM Singles chart... Dorsey Burnette passed away on August 19th, 1979 at the young age of 46 {heart attack}... R.I.P. Mr. Burnette and Mr. Clark {1929 - 2012}...
Michael Passanisi
Great song- Perhaps Dorsey's best- Too bad it reached only 67 on the billboard charts.
Cynthia's Channel
Nice song, Love this...
Monte Ice
Would love to have you upload the B side of this single. It was a sad but moving ballad concerning the passing of a little girl. I think Dorsey had a daughter pass away in an auto accident in the mid to late 1980s based on a phone conversation I had with Thurley Burnette, Johnny's widow.