Born in Sveg (Härjedalen) but has lived in Ockle (Oxelösund) since autumn 1960 [p.c.]
SHORT (VERY SHORT!!) SUMMARY OF THE UNLIKELY CAREER OF THE LEGENDARY HANK C. BURNETTE…
Real name: Sven-Åke Högberg, better known as The Legendary Hank C. Burnette with over 70 records/CDs to my credit on a myriad of labels all over the globe, the first being the US Blue Horizon label out of Warrington, Florida many a blue moon ago. Biggest seller, “Spinning Rock Boogie” (recorded in my parents makeshift garage!!), originally released on the US Seagull label out of Nashville, Tenn. and then re-released on the UK Southern Sound label and finally hitting the counters in its re-edited hit version released on the UK Sonet label and described by the U.K. Sounds magazine as (quote): “The most original, amazing instrumental ever released”! It has sold more than 8 million copies and has received both Gold and Platinum records and has also been featured as a Theme track on a handful of TV Series throughout the planet. I’m also the only European that’s been released on the Godfather of Rock’n Roll labels, the yellow SUN label in the US of A. where cats like Elvis, Jerry Lee, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, Charlie Rich, etc., etc., etc. kicked off their career. And, just to make the story complete for those of you who still don’t know it, I play all instruments on my recordings myself and handles all the vocals, plus do all the production and sound engineering!! Talk about being self centered and having an ego bigger than Mount Everest, ha, ha!! If you have any more questions about my illustrious career, just SHOOT…you know where to find me! Complete discographies and bios are available in case you’re interested, but PLEASE don’t beg me to send you a list of my 500+ vintage guitar collection, THANKS!! Best always, Hank C…
P.S. You can find close to 300 of my recordings (much more to come!) uploaded on You Tube in case you’d like to check ’em out! Just copy and paste this link into your browser:
http://www.youtube.com/user/burnette44 You can also find me on Facebook and Reverb Nation. P.S.2. I started my first band in 1958 called Teddy & The Teddy Bears. Broke the band up a year and a half, or so, later and started gigging as a lead axe slinger with Little Johnny & His Red Dynamites. Moved to my present location (Oxelösund, Sweden) in the autumn of 1960 and started dabbling in sound-on-sound recordings about two years later. And I’m still as active as ever, with new recordings and record deals flourishing all over the planet. At present I’m under contract to four different foreign record coy’s and have also made musical scores to several full length (90 min’s) US Documentaries! I’ve never recorded in a ‘professional’ studio, but has always done my work under home based environments (anywhere from my parents living room and makeshift garage to cramped cellar spaces as well as my own apartments and, believe me, I’ve had a few throughout the years!!). The name Hank C. Burnette was really the brainchild of US Blue Horizon boss, Larry Stevens (a half Cherokee indian with heavy country music background), picked out from three of my truckload of favorite artists at the time, aka HANK Williams,Chet Atkins and Johnny BURNETTE (of the Rockabilly Trio’s fame). The added ‘THE LEGENDARY…’ was something that UK Sonet boss, Rod Buckle, came up with (without my knowledge!) in time for my first Sonet single and LP in late ’76!). The rest…as they say…is pretty much history…DIG IN & KEEP THE BOP ON TOP!! D.S.
