- Kenneth C. Burns
Infobox musical artist |
Name = Kenneth C. Burns
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Background = solo_singer
Birth_name =
Alias = Jethro Burns
Born =March 10 ,1920
Conasaga,Tennessee
Died =February 4 ,1989
Evanston,Illinois (aged 68)
Origin =
Instrument =Mandolin
Genre =Comedy , country,jazz
Occupation =
Years_active = 1936-1989
Label = King, RCA, Red Pajamas
Associated_acts =Homer and Jethro (withHenry D. Haynes ),Chet Atkins ,Steve Goodman
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Past_members =
Notable_instruments =Kenneth C. Burns (born in Conasaga,
Tennessee onMarch 10 ,1920 - died in Evanston,Illinois onFebruary 4 ,1989 ) was an Americancountry music ian, comedian, and highly-influentialmandolin player. He was better known by the nickname Jethro Burns, from his days as part of the comedy musical duoHomer and Jethro .Life
In 1936, Burns auditioned for a talent contest at Knoxville radio station WNOX. At the audition, he met
Henry D. Haynes , who was also sixteen. The two boys formed a duo and WNOX program director Lowell Blanchard gave them the stage names "Homer and Jethro."By 1947, the duo had moved to Cincinnati,
Ohio and were signed to King Records, where they worked as a house band. They also recorded some singles on their own, and two years later signed withRCA . Also in 1949, they moved toChicago ,Illinois and played at theChicago Theatre . Between shows, they would go to the WLS Radio to appear live on "National Barn Dance ." While appearing on WLS, Burns met and married his wife, Lois Johnson, who he called "Gussie." Lois's sister Leona was married toChet Atkins .Burns was a highly-influential mandolin stylist, preferring clean single-note jazzy melodies and sophisticated chords over the dominant bluegrass stylings of
Bill Monroe , and since he performed mostly in aCountry Music setting, introduced many country mandolinists to sophisticated jazz harmonies and improvisational techniques, as well as standards from the songbooks ofDuke Ellington ,Django Reinhardt andCole Porter .After Haynes died in 1971, Burns continued to play, most notably with Chicago
folk singer Steve Goodman . Burns appeared on several of Goodman's albums and also toured nationally with Goodman. His regular musical partner following the death of Haynes was guitaristKen Eidson , with whom he co-authored an influential mandolin method and continued to perform asHomer and Jethro .Burns was a member of the "Million Dollar Band".
In 1985, the team of Homer and Jethro were inducted into the
Country Music Hall of Fame .Discography
Some of Burn's most influential recordings are:
* Acoustic Disk ACD-15 "Swing Low Sweet Mandolin" (1987); with Don Stiernberg
* Acoustic Disk ACD-29 "Bye Bye Blues" (1987); with Don Stiernberg
* Bear Family BCD-15728AH "Country All Stars:Jazz From the Hills " (reissue of sessions from 1952-1955); withJerry Byrd ,Chet Atkins ,Henry D. Haynes , Dale Potter
* RCA Victor "Playing It Straight" (1962),Homer and Jethro ; reissued on CD by RCA Japan
* RCA Victor "It Ain't Necessarily Square" (1965?),Homer and Jethro ; reissued on CD by RCA Japan
* RCA Camden "Down Yonder and Other Old-Time Favorites" (1967) byWade Ray and the Country Fiddlers.The two ACD were recorded by Burns when his cancer was diagnosed and advancing; he and Stiernberg worked in an intimate setting to put as many of Burns' musical ideas on high-quality recordings for future generations to enjoy and especially for aspiring swing mandolinists (and guitarists) to learn from.
The two RCA Victor albums showcased
Homer and Jethro as jazz musicians rather than comedy kings. These didn't have wide commercial appeal, so the studio gave them a free hand to select material, arrange and improvise.The Country Fiddlers LP was a budget release by a studio group with
Wade Ray (fiddle),Sonny Osborne (banjo), andHomer and Jethro . Jethro cut loose with jazzy interpretations of old-time fiddle standards.External links
*allmusicguide | id = 11:difrxql5ldae | label = Jethro Burns
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