1) Albert Austin "Sonny" … Read Full Bio ↴There are two artists named Sonny Burgess:
1) Albert Austin "Sonny" Burgess (May 28, 1931 – August 18, 2017) was an American rockabilly guitarist and singer.
In the early 1950s, Burgess played boogie woogie music in dance halls and bars around Newport. Burgess, Kern Kennedy, Johnny Ray Hubbard, and Gerald Jackson formed a boogie-woogie band they called the Rocky Road Ramblers. In 1954, following a stint in the US Army (1951–53), Burgess re-formed the band, calling them the Moonlighters after the Silver Moon Club in Newport, where they performed regularly. After advice from record producer Sam Phillips, the group expanded to form the Pacers.
The band's first record was "We Wanna Boogie" in 1956 for Sun Records, in Memphis, about 80 miles southeast of his birthplace. The flip side was "Red Headed Woman." Both were written by Burgess. The songs have been described as "among the most raucous, energy-filled recordings released during the first flowering of rock and roll." Their onstage antics in performance were similarly described. Like other artists such as Ray Harris, Hayden Thompson, Billy Lee Riley and Warren Smith, chart success largely eluded him.
Burgess disbanded the group in 1971 but later found a new audience in Europe.
In 1990 (possibly before and afterward), Burgess toured with The Sun Rhythm Section. This group was composed of former session musicians from the Sun Recording Studio. Beside Burgess, band members included Paul Burlison (electric guitar), J.L. "Smoochy" Smith (piano), Stan Kessler (bass), Marcus Van Story (acoustic guitar & lead vocals), and D.J. Fontana on drums. Fontana was a member of Elvis Presley's band (1955-1968).
Burgess was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame of Europe in 1999. His group, now called The Legendary Pacers, was a hit that same year in a rockabilly concert in Las Vegas, Nevada. It recorded Still Rockin’ and Rollin’ in 2000, voted the best new album in the country and roots field in Europe. The group was inducted in 2002 into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
Sonny Burgess & The Legendary Pacers performed at the 2006 National Folk Festival in Richmond, Virginia to large, enthusiastic audiences.
Burgess hosted a weekly radio program called We Wanna Boogie with co-host June Taylor. The program, named after his first record, aired Sunday nights from 5-7pm Central Time on 91.9FM KASU in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
Burgess was born on a farm near Newport, Arkansas to Albert and Esta Burgess. He graduated from Newport High School in 1948. Burgess had two brothers, and three sisters. Burgess was formerly married to Joann Adams starting in 1956, and they have two sons, Peyton and John. Between performances, Burgess lived in Newport until his death in 2017. Burgess died on August 18, 2017 at the age of 86.
2) Sonny Burgess is a country music artist, who released his debut album, When in Texas, in 2001.
Ain't Got a Thing
Sonny Burgess Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I got a cheque, but it won't cash
I got a woman, ain't got no class
Well I got a guitar, ain't got no string
I got ten fingers, ain't got no ring
I got a woman, ain't got a thing
Well I got a door, ain't got no key
I got some drums, but ain't got no beat
I got two feet, ain't got no shoes
I got a wagon, ain't got no mule
I got a woman, but she ain't true
Well I got a piano, ain't got no keys
Yes I got a cracker, ain't got no cheese
I got a woman, but she climbs trees
Well I got a woman, yeah I got a woman
Oh, I got a woman
The lyrics of Sonny Burgess's song Ain't Got a Thing portray the singer's lack of possessions and their disappointment in the people around them. The song follows a repetitive structure, with each verse beginning with "well I got" and ending with "ain't got." From the very beginning, it's clear that the singer is struggling - they have a car but no gas, a cheque but it won't cash, and a woman but she has no class. The singer goes on to list other possessions they have but lacking something crucial, like a guitar with no string, a door with no key, or a piano with no keys. Even the singer's woman is less than perfect, as they sing that she is not sweet and not true.
Despite the bleakness portrayed in the song, the repetition of the phrase "I got a woman" throughout the lyrics adds a layer of complexity to the song. The woman in the song is both a reminder of the singer's troubles and a source of comfort for them. The inclusion of the final line "Oh, I got a woman" suggests that, despite everything, the singer is grateful for the woman's presence in their life.
The lyrics of Ain't Got a Thing can be interpreted in various ways. Perhaps the singer is highlighting the materialistic nature of society and how we value people and things based on what they possess. Alternatively, the song can be seen as a commentary on the struggles of the working class and how difficult it can be to make ends meet. Regardless of the interpretation, Burgess's raw vocals and the simple structure of the song make it a powerful and emotional track.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I got a car, ain't got no gas
Although I have a car, I can't go anywhere because I don't have any gas.
I got a cheque, but it won't cash
Even though I have a cheque, I won't be able to use it because it cannot be cashed.
I got a woman, ain't got no class
I have a woman, but she doesn't have any class
Well I got a guitar, ain't got no string
I have a guitar, but it's missing the strings so I am unable to play.
I got ten fingers, ain't got no ring
Although I have ten fingers, I don't have a ring on any of them.
I got a woman, ain't got a thing
I have a woman, but I have nothing else to my name.
Well I got a door, ain't got no key
I have a door, but I don't have the key to open it.
I got some drums, but ain't got no beat
Even though I have drums, I don't have a beat to play on them.
I got a woman, she ain't so sweet
I have a woman, but she isn't kind or pleasant.
I got two feet, ain't got no shoes
Although I have two feet, I don't have any shoes to wear on them.
I got a wagon, ain't got no mule
I have a wagon, but I don't have a mule to pull it.
I got a woman, but she ain't true
I have a woman, but she's not loyal or trustworthy.
Well I got a piano, ain't got no keys
Although I have a piano, it doesn't have any keys to play.
Yes I got a cracker, ain't got no cheese
I have a cracker, but there's no cheese to eat with it.
I got a woman, but she climbs trees
I have a woman, but her behavior is erratic and strange.
Well I got a woman, yeah I got a woman
Despite not having many material possessions, I have a woman in my life.
Oh, I got a woman
I have a woman in my life, even though I lack many material possessions.
Contributed by Logan H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@roysmemorylane
Sings it live from 2012 with Billy Lee at the Ace Of Clubs in Arkansas right before it burned down. Blows me away.
@alainzilka1018
Superbe rockabilly !
@tomvondago49
This Old Rock A Billy Is So Raw & COOL !
@josephbarber8719
True special songs from Memphis Tenn
@johnflannery5997
Love this
@roysmemorylane
RAB as good as it gets!
@vinnievenus3570
This song is perhaps the perfect musical blend of every musical element and function.
Vocal harmony and complete musical perfection.
Nearly indescribable.
Why is this song not known ?
To thegeneral public?
Wtf?
Beautiful
Harmony
@thierryrichard3153
cool cat's pure fifties
@TITICAT91
🤩🤩🤩👍👍
@vinnievenus3570
Talk about ONE HIT WONDERS.
Wow!
This song might make sonny burgess the King of One Hit Wonders.
Maybe?
How is this song not considered as good as chuck berrys Johnny b Goode?
Or jerry lee Lewis’s whole lotta shakin goin on?
Tell me.
Truly.