In 1969 at age 16, Burns co-founded the band Lifeblud whose live performances included as support act for Wizz Jones, Uriah Heep, Heads Hands & Feet, Caravan (at the Marquee Club), Egg and Stray.

Burns began his career as a professional musician in Britain in September 1972, performing as a touring bass guitarist for visiting major American soul artists Sam and Dave, Isaac Hayes, The Stylistics and Edwin Starr.

[4] Burns also worked with Christian singer Garth Hewitt[5] and performed on two world tours as musical director for Eric Burdon of The Animals between 1982 and 1987, appearing on his 1985 That's Live album.

[6] Between 1989 and 1996, he played the bass in the Dolphins[7] with Robin Lumley of Brand X, Willie Wilson of Sutherland Brothers and Quiver, and Pink Floyd guitarist and vocalist David Gilmour, within whose ranks Clem Clempson and Mick Ralphs would come to jam in the band's fluid line-up.

For concerts and other events, occasional additional members were guitarists Snowy White and Neil Hubbard, singer Chris Farlowe and saxophonist Dick Heckstall-Smith.

Burns became a studio bass guitarist in the 1980s and recorded for Jon Lord and Ian Paice of Deep Purple for their Paice, Ashton and Lord project, Donna Summer, Atomic Rooster, Zoot Money's Big Roll Band and Vivian Stanshall of The Bonzo Dog Band (including the track "(There's) No Room To Rhumba In A Sports' Car" on the NME 1990 compilation album in aid of the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy charity).

[8] In 1980, Burns played on "Come Back Marianne" (Magic Moon records) by John Gregg along with Paul Carrack and Zoot Money on keyboards, Les Davidson on guitar and Jeff Allen on drums.

[21] Burns has played on several major television and film soundtracks including Not the Nine O'Clock News, Three of a Kind, The Lenny Henry Show, Alas Smith and Jones, Red Dwarf,[22] Blackadder, Mr. Bean, A Perfect Spy, 2.4 Children and French & Saunders.

In 1979, Burns was invited to perform in the West End production of the rock opera Tommy, by its composer Pete Townshend of the Who, and in 1984 joined the Abbacadabra musical, working with Elaine Paige for Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson of ABBA and Sir Tim Rice.

Following on from his work on British TV comedy shows, Burns played bass in subsequent theatre productions, namely the "Rowan Atkinson in Revue" tour (1981), which won an Olivier Award, and "Not in Front of the Audience" with the Not the Nine O'Clock News cast in London (1982).

Around this time, Burns played, along with drummer Jeff Allen, in support of comedian Spike Milligan, Lynsey de Paul, and Gerard Kenny at a charity event at the Commonwealth Institute in London.