With his younger brother Johnny Burnette and a friend named Paul Burlison, he was a founding member of The Rock and Roll Trio.
[3] After graduating from a Catholic high school in Memphis, Dorsey became a professional boxer before working at a number of daytime jobs, which included a cotton picker, an oiler on a Mississippi riverboat, a fisherman, a carpet layer.
Paul Burlison joined them after his discharge from the United States Armed Forces, and in 1952 or 1953, they formed a group, which may have been called The Rhythm Rangers at the time.
[3] For economic reasons, in 1956, the three young men moved to New York City, where they got an audition with Ted Mack on The Original Amateur Hour.
[1] Promotional appearances were arranged on Dick Clark's American Bandstand, Steve Allen's Tonight Show and Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall, together with a summer tour with Carl Perkins and Gene Vincent.
On September 9, 1956, they appeared as finalists in the Ted Mack Original Amateur Hour at Madison Square Garden.
This exhausting regime led to squabbles, which were exacerbated in Dorsey's case by Jerome's use of the name Johnny Burnette and the Rock and Roll Trio on records and live dates.
French researchers Giles Vignal and Marc Alesina place the demo session at the Sun Records Studio in November 1956, and they have Dorsey's being backed by Johnny Burnette and Paul Burlison.
On November 24, 1956, Dorsey went to a session at the Fabor Studio in Malibu, California, where he cut four tracks: "The Devil Queen", "Let's Fall in Love", "At a Distance" and "Jungle Magic".
Fabor Robinson offered to place Dorsey on either the Louisiana Hayride or the Town Hall Party (the West Coast's leading showcase for country music).
After moving to California, Dorsey found work as an electrician to make ends meet and began writing songs in his spare time.
With a friend, Joe Campbell, he hitched a ride in a railroad boxcar to Los Angeles, where they joined Dorsey.
With their past differences forgotten, the brothers attempted to resurrect The Rock and Roll Trio by sending for Paul Burlison.
[citation needed] In November 1957, the brothers were approached by songwriter John Marascalco, who had written "Ready Teddy" and "Rip It Up" for Little Richard as well as "Good Night My Love".
Dorsey and Johnny went into the Master Recorders Studio in Hollywood and backed by Odell Hull (lead guitar), Danny Flores (piano) and H.B.
It originally was planned that Johnny should sing the lead vocals, but when he recalled that he was still under contract to Coral Records, Dorsey suggested that nobody would care if he sang the song.
On arriving in Los Angeles, Joe Campbell bought a copy of "A Map to the Stars", which showed the location of the then teen idol Ricky Nelson's home.
"Green Grass of Texas"/"Bloody River" was re-released in February 1965 on the Vee-Jay label (VJ 658), again under the name of The Texans.
At Reprise, Dorsey worked with producer Jimmy Bowen and arranger Jack Nitzsche and had two single releases in 1962.
The label's early releases were soul-oriented and included tracks by Lamont Dozier, The Vells (Martha and the Vandellas) and The Pirates (The Temptations).
[4] The single "The Greatest Love"/"Thin Little, Simple Little, Plain Little Girl" (Liberty 56087) was released in late 1968 and was in "hitbound" status on some radio stations as of December 25, 1968.
After dark, his tiny, unlit fishing boat was struck by an unaware cabin cruiser, and the impact threw him into the lake where he drowned.
The two men renewed their friendship, and Johnny Burnette was interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.
The label was discontinued in April 1965, and from then on, Dorsey recorded without luck on a series of labels, including Liberty, Merri, Happy Tiger, Music Factory, Smash (where he re-recorded "Tall Oak Tree"), Mercury, Hickory and Condor, which released "The Magnificent Sanctuary Band"/"Can't You See It Happening" (Condor FF-1005) on February 7, 1970.
He found success on the country charts with self-penned songs such as "In the Spring (The Roses Always Turn Red)" (Capitol 3307; 1972; No.
Just after his first record release, however, he died of a massive heart attack at his home in Canoga Park, California, on August 19, 1979, aged 46.
[7] Dorsey last appeared in public on August 18, 1979 (the day before he died), at The Performing Arts Center in Oxnard, California.
I'm proud to know him and to have had the opportunity to make music with him and I'm especially proud that he considers me his peer.After his death, singer and friend Delaney Bramlett organized a benefit concert for Dorsey Burnette's widow at The Forum in Inglewood, California, where Kris Kristofferson, Hoyt Axton, Tanya Tucker, Glen Campbell, Edward James Olmos, Duane Eddy, Delaney & Bonnie, Gary Busey, Maureen McGovern and Roger Miller appeared.