Dick Burnett (musician)
Encyclopedia
Richard Burnett (October 8, 1883 – January 23, 1977) was an American folk
songwriter
from Kentucky
.
Burnett was born near Monticello, Kentucky
. He was known to play the banjo
and guitar
and was blind in one eye. Burnett allegedly wrote the traditional American folk song, Man of Constant Sorrow
, which was later to be covered by Bob Dylan
and featured in the movie O Brother Where Art Thou as another version. He recorded with fiddler Leon Rutherford for Columbia Records.
Burnett was born near the end of the nineteenth century on October 8, 1883, in the area around the head of Elk Springs,
about seven miles north of Monticello. He remembered little of his farming parents. His dad died when he was only four
and his mother died when he was twelve. Burnett did say that his mother told him how his dad would
carry him in his arms when he was only four years old and he would help his dad sing.
It is notable that Burnett’s grandparents were of German and English descent and that
particular ancestral influence would be instrumental in forming Burnett’s musical career.
At seven-years-old, Burnett was playing the dulcimer; at nine he was playing the banjo,
and at thirteen he had learned to play the fiddle.
Richard Burnett’s life took a drastic turn in early adulthood when he was attacked by a robber,
shot in the face, and lost his eyesight. He was working in the oil field of central Kentucky,
married with a young child, and now faced an uncertain future. Almost prophetically,
his boss made the following statement to Burnett: “Well, you can still make it; you can make it with your music.”
And, make it, he did!
In time, Burnett joined forces with a young fourteen-year-old orphaned boy from Somerset.
That young boy, Leonard Rutherford, would become Burnett’s student and became one of the
“smoothest” fiddle players known to come from Kentucky.
Richard Burnett, “blind minstrel of Monticello” and Leonard Rutherford,
“one of the smoothest fiddlers ever to take a bow,” soon were singing at every opportunity.
They appeared on courthouse lawns and on the street playing and singing their music.
In order to earn some money, Richard would strap a tin cup to his knee to collect
the contributions from a satisfied crowd.
They traveled by bus, Model A
, and on foot to any place they could and sing.
From about 1914 until 1950, the pair became so popular that they found themselves in the
company of most all the popular mountain musicians of the time.
They were “at home” in the presence of greats like the Carter Family
,
Charlie Oaks, Arthur Smith, and many others. They appeared at the Renfro Valley Barn Dance
,
on radio stations in Cincinnati, and finally, they would be some of the first old-time musicians to enter the recording studios!
Burnett and Rutherford made their first commercial recording in 1926 for Columbia Records
in Atlanta, Georgia. “They gave us sixty dollars a record and paid all our expenses from
here to Atlanta and back, hotel bills and everything,” Burnett reminisced.
This unique banjo-fiddle-playing team, at times joined by banjoist W.L. Gregory and
his fiddle-playing brother Jim, also of Monticello, continued to record for Columbia (and Gennett as well), through 1930.
Many of the songs Burnett and Rutherford used in their performances were songs they
had learned from others in the past. When Burnett was asked where he learned some
the old songs he recorded, he indicated some of them came from “Negroes around playing old time music”
in Wayne County. He mentioned “Bled Coffey here in town, he was a fiddler during the Civil War,
and the Bertram boys here, Cooge Bertram was a good fiddler…..Yes sir,
there were a lot of black men playing old-time music. Bled Coffey was the best fiddler in the country.”
Burnett was a prolific songwriter as well as an instrumentalist. Possibly his most well known
song is the popular “Man Of Constant Sorrow” that found notoriety in the movie,
“O Brother, Where Art Thou.” On one occasion when asked if he wrote the song,
Burnett replied: “No, I think I got that ballet from somebody—I dunno. It may be my song…..”
Richard Burnett died in Somerset January 23, 1977, probably without ever realizing
the great influence he had in the field of old-time Appalachian music. It has been
correctly observed about Richard Burnett: “He was a valuable link to country music’s
folk past and was a repository of material which he had both preserved and
rewritten: “Pearl Bryan,” “Short Life of Trouble," "Weeping Willow Tree,”
“Little Stream of Whisky,” and many other ballads known to all folk revivalists.”
The team certainly deserves the title of “one of the most colorful and rewarding groups of the 1920’s.”
Dick Burnett lost his sight when he was shot in the face in 1907. He could not work anymore so he took up music to feed his family. He lived for 94 years and his wife lived one month shy of 98. He died in Somerset, Kentucky
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
from Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
.
Burnett was born near Monticello, Kentucky
Monticello, Kentucky
Monticello is a city in Wayne County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 5,981 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Wayne County. It advertises itself as "The Houseboat Capital of the World" due to the large number of houseboat manufacturers in the city...
. He was known to play the banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and was blind in one eye. Burnett allegedly wrote the traditional American folk song, Man of Constant Sorrow
Man of Constant Sorrow
"Man of Constant Sorrow" is a traditional American folk song first recorded by Dick Burnett, a partially blind fiddler from Kentucky. The song was originally recorded by Burnett as "Farewell Song" printed in a Richard Burnett songbook, c. 1913. An early version was recorded by Emry Arthur in 1928...
, which was later to be covered by Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
and featured in the movie O Brother Where Art Thou as another version. He recorded with fiddler Leon Rutherford for Columbia Records.
Burnett was born near the end of the nineteenth century on October 8, 1883, in the area around the head of Elk Springs,
about seven miles north of Monticello. He remembered little of his farming parents. His dad died when he was only four
and his mother died when he was twelve. Burnett did say that his mother told him how his dad would
carry him in his arms when he was only four years old and he would help his dad sing.
It is notable that Burnett’s grandparents were of German and English descent and that
particular ancestral influence would be instrumental in forming Burnett’s musical career.
At seven-years-old, Burnett was playing the dulcimer; at nine he was playing the banjo,
and at thirteen he had learned to play the fiddle.
Richard Burnett’s life took a drastic turn in early adulthood when he was attacked by a robber,
shot in the face, and lost his eyesight. He was working in the oil field of central Kentucky,
married with a young child, and now faced an uncertain future. Almost prophetically,
his boss made the following statement to Burnett: “Well, you can still make it; you can make it with your music.”
And, make it, he did!
In time, Burnett joined forces with a young fourteen-year-old orphaned boy from Somerset.
That young boy, Leonard Rutherford, would become Burnett’s student and became one of the
“smoothest” fiddle players known to come from Kentucky.
Richard Burnett, “blind minstrel of Monticello” and Leonard Rutherford,
“one of the smoothest fiddlers ever to take a bow,” soon were singing at every opportunity.
They appeared on courthouse lawns and on the street playing and singing their music.
In order to earn some money, Richard would strap a tin cup to his knee to collect
the contributions from a satisfied crowd.
They traveled by bus, Model A
Model A
Model A may refer to:* Ford Model A , a model of car built by the Ford Motor Company* Ford Model A , a model of car built by the Ford Motor Company* One of the letter-series models of Farmall tractors...
, and on foot to any place they could and sing.
From about 1914 until 1950, the pair became so popular that they found themselves in the
company of most all the popular mountain musicians of the time.
They were “at home” in the presence of greats like the Carter Family
Carter Family
The Carter Family was a traditional American folk music group that recorded between 1927 and 1956. Their music had a profound impact on bluegrass, country, Southern Gospel, pop and rock musicians as well as on the U.S. folk revival of the 1960s. They were the first vocal group to become country...
,
Charlie Oaks, Arthur Smith, and many others. They appeared at the Renfro Valley Barn Dance
Renfro Valley Barn Dance
Renfro Valley Barn Dance was an American country music stage and radio show originally carried by WLW-AM in Cincinnati, Ohio on Saturday nights. It debuted on October 9, 1937 from the Cincinnati Music Hall and moved to the Memorial Auditorium in Dayton, Ohio. It was hosted by John Lair, Red Foley,...
,
on radio stations in Cincinnati, and finally, they would be some of the first old-time musicians to enter the recording studios!
Burnett and Rutherford made their first commercial recording in 1926 for Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
in Atlanta, Georgia. “They gave us sixty dollars a record and paid all our expenses from
here to Atlanta and back, hotel bills and everything,” Burnett reminisced.
This unique banjo-fiddle-playing team, at times joined by banjoist W.L. Gregory and
his fiddle-playing brother Jim, also of Monticello, continued to record for Columbia (and Gennett as well), through 1930.
Many of the songs Burnett and Rutherford used in their performances were songs they
had learned from others in the past. When Burnett was asked where he learned some
the old songs he recorded, he indicated some of them came from “Negroes around playing old time music”
in Wayne County. He mentioned “Bled Coffey here in town, he was a fiddler during the Civil War,
and the Bertram boys here, Cooge Bertram was a good fiddler…..Yes sir,
there were a lot of black men playing old-time music. Bled Coffey was the best fiddler in the country.”
Burnett was a prolific songwriter as well as an instrumentalist. Possibly his most well known
song is the popular “Man Of Constant Sorrow” that found notoriety in the movie,
“O Brother, Where Art Thou.” On one occasion when asked if he wrote the song,
Burnett replied: “No, I think I got that ballet from somebody—I dunno. It may be my song…..”
Richard Burnett died in Somerset January 23, 1977, probably without ever realizing
the great influence he had in the field of old-time Appalachian music. It has been
correctly observed about Richard Burnett: “He was a valuable link to country music’s
folk past and was a repository of material which he had both preserved and
rewritten: “Pearl Bryan,” “Short Life of Trouble," "Weeping Willow Tree,”
“Little Stream of Whisky,” and many other ballads known to all folk revivalists.”
The team certainly deserves the title of “one of the most colorful and rewarding groups of the 1920’s.”
Dick Burnett lost his sight when he was shot in the face in 1907. He could not work anymore so he took up music to feed his family. He lived for 94 years and his wife lived one month shy of 98. He died in Somerset, Kentucky
Somerset, Kentucky
The major demographic differences between the city and the micropolitan area relate to income, housing composition and age. The micropolitan area, as compared to the incorporated city, is more suburban in flavor and has a significantly younger housing stock, a higher income, and contains most of...
Sources
- http://www.1001tunes.com/fiddlers/burnsruth.html
- http://harlanogleky.tripod.com/waynecountymuseum/id23.html