1) Albert “Sonny” Burgess is a guitarist and singer of rockabilly, present at its inception and still performing today. He was born 28 May 1931 on a farm near Newport, Arkansas about 60 miles west of Memphis. Burgess played honky-tonk music in dance halls and bars around Newport in the early-1950s. He helped form a semiprofessional trio in the early 1950s, which became the “Moonlighters.” After advice from record producer Sam Phillips, the group expanded to form the “Pacers.” Its first record was “We Wanna Boogie” in 1956 for Sun Records, followed by “Red Headed Woman.” Both were notable for their raucous high energy, which matched onstage antics in performance. Burgess disbanded the group in 1971 but later found a new audience in Europe. His group, now called the “Legendary Pacers,” was a sensation at a 1999 worldwide rockabilly concert in Las Vegas. It recorded “Still Rockin’ and Rollin’” in 2000, voted the best new album in the country and roots field in Europe. He was subsequently inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in Burns, Tennessee and the European Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Sonny Burgess & the Legendary Pacers performed at the 2006 National Folk Festival in Richmond, Virginia to enthusiastic, rocking audiences in the thousands. 2) Sonny Burgess is a country music artist, who released his debut album, When in Texas, in 2001. |
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