JOHNNY BURNETTE AND THE ROCK AND ROLL TRIO
The Rock and Roll Trio were an American rockabilly group formed in Memphis, Tennessee, during the 1950s. They were also known as “Johnny Burnette and the Rock and Roll Trio” and the “Johnny Burnette Trio”. The members of the Trio were Dorsey Burnette, his younger brother Johnny, and a friend Paul Burlison. Dorsey and Johnny Burnette were both natives of Memphis, having been born there in 1932 and 1934 respectively. Paul Burlison was born in Brownsville, Tennessee, in 1929, but moved to Memphis with his family in 1937. (More from Wikipedia)
In 1956, Johnny Burnette and the Rock and Roll Trio released “Train Kept A-Rollin’”; a cool video showing them playing the song is available on YouTube. Wikipedia reports: “The Trio’s version features guitar lines in what many historians consider to be the first recorded example of intentionally distorted guitar in rock music.” This record came out 2 years before Link Wray introduced power chords to rock music with his hit instrumental “Rumble”, where he also included considerable distorted guitar.
(June 2015)
