[2] Jimmy Burns was born in Dublin, Mississippi, and raised on the Hilliard Cotton Plantation where he learned to play one-string and 12-string guitar.

[2] At the age of 12, Jimmy Burns moved with his family to Chicago and four years later joined The Medallionaires who recorded a couple of doo-wop tracks.

Recording mostly solo in the 1960s, Burns issued singles for the USA, Minit, Tip Top and Erica labels.

[5] He toured the Midwest with his backing group, the Fantastic Epics, and with another outfit called Jimmy Burns and the Gas Company into the early 1970s.

[5] The more recently formed Jimmy Burns Band includes Anthony Palmer (guitar), E. G. McDaniel (bass), and James Carter (drums).