Submitted by Cashbox Canada
Photo: Sonny Burgess, performing at the Country Music Hall Of Fame in Nashville in 2015

Rockabilly singer, songwriter and guitarist Sonny Burgess passed away on August 18, 2017 in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Burgess made his career when he became one of Sam Phillips/Sun Records' stars, with signatory whoops and howls all along accompanied by his furious guitar.

Born May 28, 1929, Burgess was raised on a farm near Newport, Arkansas. He grew up listening to shows from the Grand Ole Opry, and started out playing with friends in local bars and dance halls in a band they called The Rocky Road Ramblers. His original dream was to be a professional baseball player, but after a couple of years spent in the minor leagues, Burgess entered the U.S. Army, and served in West Germany during the Korean War. After advice from Sun record producer Sam Phillips, the group expanded to form the Pacers, at first called the Newport Pacers. Burgess was sharing dates with the likes of Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash.