Dorsey Burnette - "That Lucky Old Sun"

There qere many hits made from this song going back to 1949 when Frankie Laine led the pack with his top charting recording. Dorsey's take on this old classic comes from his 1960 album "Tall Oak Tree".

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Dorsey
• Burnette
• That
• Lucky
• Old
• Sun

[hardballboogie]

Okay -- enough on Dorsey. Yeah, I'm a rockabilly to the core, but I like other vintage stuff, too. You mention the "big voice" guys and Capitol Records. Well, that brings to mind one of my favorite vocalists of all time -- the great Al Martino. Man, he could knock it out of the park. Does crooning get any better than "Here In My Heart"? I have to admit that I also admire Martino for what he did in WWII. He was a Marine, wounded at Iwo. He went from shooting an M1 to shooting up the pop charts.

[markalson1938]

Yes, Al Martino was a great singer and he was at his best in the Goodfather movies. I have a couple of his sixties LP's. I haven't put anything of his on YT because all his great stuff is already on there.

[hardballboogie]

Dorsey was never going to set the world on fire with his vocals, but he's a rockabilly legend, having ferociously slapped the bass for the Rock-N-Roll Trio. Still, he does a nice job on this tune. "Lucky Old Sun" is such a fine song, it's hard to find a truly bad version. For me, though, no one can top the Jerry Lee Lewis rendition that he recorded for Sam Phillips at Sun. Heartfelt emotion-soaked vocals, Jerry Lee's killer piano accompaniment, and that unmistakable Sun sound. Go check it out.

[markalson1938]

No Dorsey would never set the world on fire with his singing, but he had a unique sound to his voice he used to great effect when he was with era records. I loved his "River And The Mountain"

which few ever heard. But later he went Country

and I don't think he was that good at it.

Now the best of Lucky Old Sun" was by Frankie Laine and Vaughn Monroe had a good version too in 1949. I never heard Jerry Lee Lewis's version and Don't think I would like it as I didn't like much from Sun Records.

[hardballboogie]

You're right -- Dorsey does have unique pipes. I always believed that the much-deserved attention brother Johnny received often left Dorsey overlooked. Dorsey felt that way, too, and the brothers often fought over the slight. I can't find fault with either Frankie Laine's or Vaughn Monroe's version of "Lucky," but, as a rockabilly guy, I'm partial to Sun and Jerry Lee. If you're not into the Sun sound, then you're probably right to steer clear of The Killer's version -- but you're missing out.

[markalson1938]

Yes, brother Johnny had a better voice, one more suted for country music than Dorsey's. I bought

a couple of Dorsey's country albums and that what he had in the fifties with ERA records was gone. At this time he was metioker at best. I think the boose had got to him. It was a shame.

"Rock A Billy" is fine but I've alway leaned to the "Big Band" sound and the "Big Voiced" Singers that record companys like "Columbia and

RCA or Capitol had back in the fifties.

[Gunthersdad1]

Nobody can beat Frankie Laine on most songs. But Dorsey does a good job his voice has a very distink quality that sets ir apart from most singers. maybe that's why he didn't make it real big.

[NYDutch1968]

While I think Frankie Laine's rendition is the definitive version, Dorsey Burnette's version is very credible. Thanks for posting.

[jjkoekemoer]

Great tune, thankyou

[countrysinger1952]

I agree with you in that Johnny had a better voice. I was a big fan of his when he first came out.

[jimjimellell]

I saw a live cover of this song by the Jerry Garcia Band. It was quite moving.