Barnette began recording
rockabilly music for
Parkway Records, a
Philadelphia-based record label, in the early 1960s. One of his releases for Parkway, the 1961 single "Marlene", was played during the "Rate-a-Record" segment of
American Bandstand after release. Due to the decline in the popularity of rockabilly, he moved to
Hollywood soon afterward and continued to perform as a musician. By 1965, he altered the last name of his spelling to Burnette and began performing at various
nightclubs in
California. He released the singles "Blue Misery" and "Huma La La La", both credited to Billy Joe Burnette and the Stingers, that same year. "Huma La La La" was also recorded by Belgian rock group
the Pebbles. A year later, he transferred to
Nashville, Tennessee-based Gold Standard Records, where he issued "Lust for Life". In 1967, he appeared as a guest on
The Dating Game and
The Joey Bishop Show. He also issued a rendition of the country standard "
Born to Lose". An uncredited column in the
Richmond Times-Dispatch stated in 1969 that Burnette's singles at the time, such as the "Born to Lose" cover, marked a shift from rockabilly to
country music, and that many of his singles were played by country radio stations in Virginia. In mid-1970, he founded his own record label in Hollywood, known as BJB Records. He moved back to Roanoke in 1974, where he continued to work in a recording studio. Burnette also assembled a local country music revue which he called "Direct from Nashville's
Grand Ole Opry". Hal Durham, who managed the Grand Ole Opry at the time, asked Burnette to change the name of the show as "Opry" was a registered trademark at the time and could not be used in revues unless at least three-quarters of the performers involved were members of the institution. At the time,
Stonewall Jackson was the only artist at Burnette's performances who was a member, although others had performed at the
Grand Ole Opry House without formally becoming members. By the mid-1970s, Burnette had begun working in Nashville as a song promoter for the publishing company Cedarwood Music. Sovine's rendition of the song was a number-one on the
Billboard Hot Country Songs charts in 1976, in addition to reaching top 40 of the
Billboard Hot 100. He also became a
deputy sheriff in Nashville at this point. In 1990, Burnette made his only appearance on the
Billboard country charts as a singer, peaking at number 90 with "Three Flags" on Badger Records. Chart historian
Joel Whitburn listed Burnette's date of death as December 29, 2016. ==References==