Richard Burnett

Richard Daniel Burnett (October 8, 1883 – January 23, 1977) was an American folk musician and songwriter from Kentucky.

Burnett was born near Monticello, Kentucky. Blind for most of his life, he was a full-time travelling entertainer. With fiddler Leonard Rutherford he formed a long touring partnership, and a brief recording career in which they sang a number of popular and influential sides with Burnett on banjo or guitar.

Burnett has been described as "one of the great natural songsters, a man who collected, codified, and transmitted some of our best traditional songs. Dick was also a skilful composer and folk poet of considerable skill; his "Man of Constant Sorrow" remains one of the most evocative country songs."

Birth and Death Data: Born October 8, 1883, Died January 23, 1977

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1926 - 1930

Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist, banjo, guitar, violin, speaker

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 1-25 of 33 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Columbia W143092 10-in. 11/6/1926 Lost John Richard Burnett ; Leonard Rutherford Male vocal duet, with fiddle (violin) and guitar instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Columbia W143093 10-in. 11/6/1926 Little stream of whiskey Richard Burnett ; Leonard Rutherford Male vocal duet, with fiddle (violin) and banjo instrumentalist, banjo, vocalist  
Columbia W143094 10-in. 11/6/1926 Weeping willow tree Richard Burnett ; Leonard Rutherford Male vocal duet, with fiddle (violin) and guitar instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Columbia W143095 10-in. 11/6/1926 I'll be with you when the roses bloom again Richard Burnett ; Leonard Rutherford Male vocal duet, with fiddle (violin) and guitar instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Columbia W143096 10-in. 11/6/1926 A short life of trouble Richard Burnett ; Leonard Rutherford Male vocal duet, with fiddle (violin) and guitar instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Columbia W143097 10-in. 11/6/1926 Pearl Bryan Richard Burnett ; Leonard Rutherford Male vocal duet, with fiddle (violin) and guitar instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Columbia W143873 10-in. 4/2/1927 My sweetheart in Tennessee Richard Burnett ; Leonard Rutherford Male vocal duet, with fiddle (violin) and guitar vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Columbia W143874 10-in. 4/2/1927 Are you happy or lonesome? Richard Burnett ; Leonard Rutherford Male vocal duet, with fiddle (violin) and guitar instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Columbia W143875 10-in. 4/2/1927 Assassination of J. B. Marcum Richard Burnett ; Leonard Rutherford Male vocal duet, with fiddle (violin) and guitar vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Columbia W143876 10-in. 4/2/1927 Song of the orphan boy Richard Burnett ; Leonard Rutherford Male vocal duet, with fiddle (violin) and guitar vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Columbia W145084 10-in. 11/3/1927 Curley-headed woman Richard Burnett ; Leonard Rutherford Male vocal duet, with fiddle (violin) and banjo instrumentalist, banjo, vocalist  
Columbia W145085 10-in. 11/3/1927 Ramblin' reckless hobo Richard Burnett ; Leonard Rutherford Male vocal duet, with fiddle (violin) and banjo vocalist, instrumentalist, banjo  
Columbia W145086 10-in. 11/3/1927 Willie Moore Richard Burnett ; Leonard Rutherford Male vocal duet, with fiddle (violin) and banjo vocalist, instrumentalist, banjo  
Columbia W145087 10-in. 11/3/1927 All night long blues Richard Burnett ; Leonard Rutherford Male vocal duet, with fiddle (violin) and guitar vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
Columbia W145088 10-in. 11/3/1927 Ladies on the steamboat Richard Burnett ; Leonard Rutherford Violin and banjo duet, with talking and vocal effects instrumentalist, banjo, speaker, vocalist  
Columbia W145089 10-in. 11/3/1927 Billy in the low ground Richard Burnett ; Leonard Rutherford Violin and banjo duet, with talking and vocal effects instrumentalist, banjo, speaker, vocalist  
Columbia W150291 10-in. 4/19/1930 My sweetheart across the sea Richard Burnett Male vocal solo, with fiddle (violin), banjo, and guitar instrumentalist, banjo, violin, vocalist  
Columbia W150292 10-in. 4/19/1930 The fatal wedding night Richard Burnett Male vocal solo, with fiddle (violin), banjo, and guitar instrumentalist, banjo, violin, vocalist  
Columbia W150293 10-in. 4/19/1930 Sleeping Lulu Richard Burnett ; Oscar Ruttledge Violin and guitar duet instrumentalist, violin  
Columbia W150294 10-in. 4/19/1930 Blackberry blossoms Richard Burnett ; Oscar Ruttledge Violin and guitar duet instrumentalist, violin  
Columbia W150295 10-in. 4/19/1930 Let her go, I'll meet her Richard Burnett Male vocal solo, with fiddle (violin), banjo, and guitar instrumentalist, banjo, violin, vocalist  
Columbia W150296 10-in. 4/19/1930 Goodbye, sweetheart, goodbye Richard Burnett Male vocal solo, with fiddle (violin), banjo, and guitar instrumentalist, banjo, violin, vocalist  
Gennett 14389 10-in. 10/29/1928 She is a flower from the fields of Alabama Rutherford and Burnett Male vocal duet, with fiddle (violin), banjo, and guitar vocalist, instrumentalist, banjo  
Gennett 14390 10-in. 10/29/1928 Under the pale moonlight Rutherford and Burnett Male vocal duet, with fiddle (violin), banjo, and guitar vocalist, instrumentalist, banjo  
Gennett 14391 10-in. 10/29/1928 The spring roses Rutherford and Burnett Male vocal duet, with fiddle (violin), banjo, and guitar vocalist, instrumentalist, banjo  
(Results 1-25 of 33 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Burnett, Richard," accessed April 27, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/111467.

Burnett, Richard. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 27, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/111467.

"Burnett, Richard." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 27 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/111467

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