(364) DONNIE BROOKS RECORDED UNDER SEVERAL NAMES BEFORE HE HIT IT BIG

I first met DONNIE BROOKS in the late 1950's - early 1960's in New York City. Then, since he also moved out to LA, I saw him on this coast.

He became a very good friend of mine, as well as Dorsey Burnett's and P.J. Probys.

We're linking to the DONNIE BROOKS ROCKABILLY HALL OF FAME LINK ABOVE!

Donnie, like many others who moved between studio work - making demos - and entertainment, recorded under different names and on different record labels before he settled on Donnie Brooks and had that hit. In 1964 he moved on to Frank Sinatra's label, Reprise (where Jimmy Bowen had become a producer), and eventually Gene Autry's Challenge, continuing his career into the 1970's.



And sadly, an article from the United Kingdown, Independent newspaper, his obit...

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/donnie-brooks-439032.html

(326) DORSEY and JOHNNY BURNETT and RICK NELSON

Both Dorsey and Johnny became really good friends of mine, Johnny especially; he was the younger brother. They were both nice guys. They treated people well and that always counts. They had both worked at Crown Electric where Elvis worked before he turned to music as his way to make a living. Elvis felt a loyalty there and they agreed not to record the same song.

JOHNNY AND DORSEY BURNETT WROTE A GOOD NUMBER OF SONGS THAT RICK NELSON RECORDED.

The link above is to THE HISTORY OF ROCK.COM article about THE BURNETTES

(325) JOHNNY RIVERS INTRODUCED ME TO JOHNNY and DORSEY BURNETT

JOHNNY RIVERS came out to Los Angeles from New York... following what seemed to be an exodus of talent to the West Coast from the East. Seemed like only Ersel Hickey remained behind. Johnny taught Ersel some guitar chords back in New York and then the two of them wrote a song for me. And when Johnny came out he stayed with me and my brother for some time while he tried and tried again... I've said it before and I'll say it again "JOHNNY RIVERS WOULD NOT QUIT!"

Though I met a lot of great artists in New York and on my tours, there were others I really wanted to meet that I met through Johnny.

Johnny is the person who introduced me to Johnny and Dorsey Burnett. Another song that Johnny liked to cover at Elvis' house parties is this one by Dorsey, "Hey Little One."

(321) JOHNNY RIVERS: SOUNDS OF AN ELVIS PRESLEY HOUSE PARTY : THE TALL OAK TREE

DORSEY BURNETT'S 1960 "Tall Oak Tree" was a favorite cover for JOHNNY RIVERS. I can still see Johnny sitting on the sofa in his Capri Pants (which we made fun of him for wearing at the time - they were just too fashionable!) playing and singing this song.

Here's Dorsey's version:


Dorsey sounds like the blues singer Brook Benton when he sings.

And the Johnny Rivers version:



We're linking here to the JOHNNY RIVERS official web site!

(276) LIBERTY RECORDS - NEW HOME TO BUDDY KNOX, JOHNNY BURNETT, and THE CRICKETS

Johnny Burnette, Buddy Knox, and The Crickets were recording for LIBERTY RECORDS by '62. We're linking to Dave Edwards and Mike Callahan here, as they have made a great effort to present the history of record labels and this link links to a whole discography. (Click on the title above.)

Now as a songwriter at American Music, I had some intellectual properties that I had signed over the rights to the company for - temporarily. Those properties have been returning to me over the last several years. And one of the songs I was so proud of and originially wrote with Elvis in mind got recorded instead by Johnny's brother Dorsey Burnette...

(181) DORSEY BURNETT - THE DYING EMBER

While a staff songwriter at American Music, I wrote this song with Fred Horton. Fred wasn't staff but the owner-boss Sylvester Cross OK'd him. The song was meant for Elvis Presley but Dorsey got it - long story- and recorded it first. I think of this song as one of my best. Read our other blogs about Dot Records by using the search feature of this GOOGLE blog!