Sonny Burke
Joseph Francis "Sonny" Burke (March 22, 1914 – May 31, 1980) was an American musical arranger, composer, Big Band leader, and producer. He was a prominent figure in the U.S. music industry, particularly in Los Angeles. While he was one of the top composers and arrangers in the country for many years, his later career was more widely known for his production work. Burke's legacy is found in the numerous recordings he contributed to, as his work touched many people's lives, often without them knowing his name. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Scranton (city in and county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States), Died May 31, 1980 (Santa Monica (beachfront city in Los Angeles County, California, United States) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1939 - 1955
Roles Represented in DAHR: leader, arranger, piano, composer, songwriter, vocalist
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 53 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | F4PB-1938 | 10-in. | 4/13/1955 | Roses and revolvers | The Dolphins | songwriter | ||
| Victor | D7VB-0231 | 10-in. | 4/3/1947 | Stardreams (theme song) | Charlie Spivak Orchestra ; Charlie Spivak | Jazz/dance band | songwriter | |
| Victor | D8VB-3441 | 10-in. | 12/16/1948 | You was! | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Merv Griffin | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | composer | |
| Victor | D9VB-0983 | 10-in. | 3/22/1949 | How it lies, how it lies, how it lies! | Buddy Moreno Orchestra ; Happy Notes | Male vocal solo, with vocal trio and jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Victor | D9VB-2171 | 10-in. | 8/29/1949 | Merry Christmas polka | Freddy Martin Orchestra ; Merv Griffin ; Martin Men | Male vocal solo, with male vocal group and instrumental ensemble | composer | |
| Columbia | WC2686 | 10-in. | 9/11/1939 | I may be wrong (But, I think you're wonderful) | Sonny Burke Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
| Columbia | WC2687 | 10-in. | 9/11/1939 | Lament | Sonny Burke Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
| Columbia | WC2688 | 10-in. | 9/11/1939 | The last jam session | Sonny Burke Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader, vocalist | |
| Columbia | WC2689 | 10-in. | 9/11/1939 | Tea for two | Sonny Burke Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
| Columbia | WC3275 | 10-in. | 9/3/1940 | Jimmie meets the Count (Love is a wonderful thing) | Sonny Burke Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
| Columbia | WC3276 | 10-in. | 9/3/1940 | Can I be sure | Lynne Sherman ; Sonny Burke Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
| Columbia | WC3277 | 10-in. | 9/3/1940 | Carry me back to old Virginny | Ken Meisel ; Sonny Burke Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
| Columbia | WC3278 | 10-in. | 9/3/1940 | Blue sonata | Sonny Burke Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
| Columbia | 25912 | 10-in. | 2/5/1940 | Pick-a-rib | Sonny Burke Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
| Columbia | 25913 | 10-in. | 2/5/1940 | I never purposely hurt you | Paul Petrilla ; Sonny Burke Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
| Columbia | 25914 | 10-in. | 2/5/1940 | If it wasn't for the moon | Lynne Sherman ; Sonny Burke Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
| Columbia | 25915 | 10-in. | 2/5/1940 | Easy does it | Sonny Burke Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
| Columbia | 28785 | 10-in. | 10/3/1940 | The Count basically | Sonny Burke Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
| Columbia | 28786 | 10-in. | 10/3/1940 | More than you know | Sonny Burke Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
| Columbia | 28787 | 10-in. | 10/3/1940 | Jumpin' Sally | Sonny Burke Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
| Columbia | 28788 | 10-in. | 10/3/1940 | Minor de luxe | Sonny Burke Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
| Decca | 71694 | 10-in. | 1/19/1944 | Holiday for strings-1 | Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra | arranger | ||
| Decca | 71774 | 10-in. | 2/16/1944 | The champ-1 | Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra | arranger | ||
| Decca | L 3951 | 10-in. | 9/6/1945 | Come to baby do | Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra | arranger | ||
| Decca | L 6396 | 8/28/1951 | Happiness is this | Sonny Burke Orchestra | instrumentalist, piano |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Burke, Sonny," accessed December 25, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/201296.
Burke, Sonny. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 25, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/201296.
"Burke, Sonny." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 25 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Sonny Burke
Discogs: Sonny Burke
Allmusic: Sonny Burke
Grove: Sonny Burke
IMDb: Sonny Burke
Britannica: Sonny Burke
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Burke, Sonny, 1914-1980 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n82144224
Wikidata: Sonny Burke - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q485163
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/118279321
MusicBrainz: Sonny Burke - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/b444d148-ac49-4032-8254-270ab4b1edc9
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/101085 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/101085
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