Bob Burnett, second
tenor with the Highwaymen, died Wednesday (December 7) of brain cancer
at his home in East Providence, Rhode Island. He was 71. Bob started the
Highwaymen with Dave Fisher, Steve Trott, Chan Daniels and Steve Butts.
Originally calling themselves the Clansmen, they eventually changed
their name due to its unsavory connotations. The new moniker came from
the Alfred Noyes poem of that name. After honing their act for two years
on campus, the quintet travelled to New York, where they quickly picked
up a manager, producer and recording contract.
Their first single on
United Artists Records was "Santiano," centering on the California Gold
Rush, with the classic folk tune, "Michael (Row The Boat Ashore)" on the
B-side. Released during the height of the "folk boom" in January of
1961, it should have sailed to the top of the charts. It did, but not
without a struggle. It wasn't until a Worchester, Massachusetts DJ
turned the record over that summer that "Michael" reached #1 for two
weeks. By then UA no longer had the group under contract and had to pay
to get them back.
"Michael" was followed early the next year by the
double-sided hit, "Cotton Fields" (#13) and "The Gypsy Rover" (#42). The
group steadfastly refused to leave school, performing only on weekends,
which slowed their success.
"I'm On My Way" only reached #90 in 1962
and "The Bird Man" finished their chart run at #64 that year. Bob left
the group to the Army Reserve, then moved on to Harvard Law School in
1967. Putting music behind, he had a long career in law and banking. A
lawsuit filed by the original Highwaymen against the later Johnny
Cash-Willie Nelson-Waylon Jennings-Kris Kristofferson incarnation was
settled amicably when Dave's group opened a concert for the others and
then granted them limited use of the name.
