Kenneth C. Burns
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Kenneth C. Burns (born in Conasaga, Tennessee on March 10, 1920 - died in Evanston, Illinois on February 4, 1989) was an American country musician, comedian, and highly-influential mandolin player. He was better known by the nickname "Jethro" Burns, from his days as part of the duo Homer and Jethro.
In 1932, Burns auditioned for a talent contest at Knoxville radio station WNOX. At the audition, he met Henry D. Haynes, who was also twelve. The two boys formed a duo and the WNOX station manager gave them the stage names "Homer and Jethro."
By 1947, the duo had moved to Cincinnati, Ohio and were signed to King Records, where they worked as a house band. They also recorded some singles on their own, and two years later signed with RCA. Also in 1949, they moved to Chicago, Illinois and played at the Chicago Theatre. Between shows, they would go to the WLS Radio to appear live on "National Barn Dance." While appearing on WLS, Burns met and married his wife, Lois Johnson, who he called "Gussie." Lois's sister Leona was married to Chet Atkins.
Burns was a highly-influential mandolin stylist, preferring clean single-note jazzy melodies and sophisticated chords over the dominant bluegrass stylings of Bill Monroe, and since he performed mostly in a Country Music setting, introduced many country mandolinists to sophisticated jazz harmonies and improvisational techniques, as well as standards from the songbooks of Duke Ellington, Django Reinhardt and Cole Porter.
After Haynes died in 1971, Burns continued to play, most notably with Chicago folk singer Steve Goodman. Burns appeared on several of Goodman's albums and also toured nationally with Goodman. His regular musical partner following the death of Haynes was guitarist Ken Eidson, with whom he co-authored an influential mandolin method and continued to perform as Homer and Jethro.
In 1985, the team of Homer and Jethro were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
[edit] Discography
Some of Burn's most influential recordings are:
- Acoustic Disk ACD-15 "Swing Low Sweet Mandolin" (1987); with Don Stiernberg
- Acoustic Disk ACD-29 "Bye Bye Blues" (1987); with Don Stiernberg
- Bear Family BCD-15728AH "Country All Stars: Jazz from the Hills" (reissue of sessions from 1952-1955); with Jerry Byrd, Chet Atkins, Henry D. Haynes, Dale Potter
- RCA Victor "Playing It Straight" (1962), Homer and Jethro; reissued on CD by RCA Japan
- RCA Victor "It Ain't Necessarily Square" (1965?), Homer and Jethro; reissued on CD by RCA Japan
- RCA Camden "Down Yonder and Other Old-Time Favorites" (1967) by Wade Ray and the Country Fiddlers.
The two ACD were recorded by Burns when his cancer was diagnosed and advancing; he and Stiernberg worked in an intimate setting to put as many of Burns' musical ideas on high-quality recordings for future generations to enjoy and especially for aspiring swing mandolinists (and guitarists) to learn from.
The two RCA Victor albums showcased Homer and Jethro as jazz musicians rather than comedy kings. These didn't have wide commercial appeal, so the studio gave them a free hand to select material, arrange and improvise.
The Country Fiddlers LP was a budget release by a studio group with Wade Ray (fiddle), Sonny Osborne (banjo), and Homer and Jethro. Jethro cut loose with jazzy interpretations of old-time fiddle standards.
