Dick Burnett | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Richard Daniel Burnett |
| Born | October 8, 1883 Monticello, Kentucky, United States |
| Died | January 23, 1977 (aged 93) |
| Genres | Folk |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Fiddle, banjo, Appalachian dulcimer, guitar |
| Labels | Columbia |
Richard Daniel Burnett (October 8, 1883 – January 23, 1977) was an American folk musician and songwriter from Kentucky.
Burnett was born near Monticello, Kentucky. Blind for most of his life, he was a full-time travelling entertainer. With fiddler Leonard Rutherford he formed a long touring partnership, and a brief recording career in which they sang a number of popular and influential sides with Burnett on banjo or guitar.
Burnett has been described as "one of the great natural songsters, a man who collected, codified, and transmitted some of our best traditional songs. Dick was also a skilful composer and folk poet of considerable skill; his "Man of Constant Sorrow" remains one of the most evocative country songs."[1]