Johnny Bernero
Elbert J. "Johnny" Bernero (born September 22, 1931 in Memphis , Tennessee , † July 28, 2001 in Fulton , Kentucky ) was an American rockabilly musician and drummer . Bernero was a session musician for Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee.
Life
Just like Elvis Presley , Johnny Bernero grew up in Tupelo , Mississippi . As a teenager, Bernero began to appear on the local radio station WELO and played at small events. During his military service in the US Air Force , he played in a band in Guam .
Bernero got his professional access to the music business through the pianist Smokey Joe Baugh , with whom he would later work often. After his discharge from the Air Force, Bernero began to play with Hugh Jefferies and got a job with the "Memphis Light Gas & Water Company". His workplace was across the street from the Sun Studio at 706 Union Avenue. Bernero quickly met the owner of the label Sam Phillips , who used him for recording sessions for artists such as Harold Jenkins , Billy Lee Riley , Warren Smith , Carl McVoy and Ramon Maupin and Elvis Presley hired. Bernero was the drummer for Presley's last session and can therefore be heard on his first number one hit, I Forgot To Remember To Forget, as well as on the two unreleased tracks Trying To Get To You and When It Rains It Really Pours . Presley also wanted Bernero as a permanent member of his band, but Bernero declined because he had a wife and family in Memphis.
As early as 1955, Bernero had become a member of the Snearly Ranch Boys , who performed regularly in the Cotton Club. Sometimes he was also a session musician for Meteor Records , but so far only a few recordings with Bernero as the drummer for Meteor are known. He can be heard with Brad Suggs and the Velvatones , among others .
But Bernero was not satisfied with simple odd jobs as a session musician. So he asked Sam Phillips if he could record some songs himself. After Phillips agreed, he put together the Johnny Bernero Band with Thurman Enlow ( piano ), Hugh Jefferies ( steel guitar ), Hawk Hawkins ( bass ) and Ace Cannon ( saxophone ) . With this group, the line-up of which varied, Bernero recorded various pieces that Sun did not publish and therefore long disappeared on a shelf. In 1987, Bernero's Boogie and Rockin 'At The Woodchoppers Ball were finally released.
In 1960 a record by Johnny Bernero was released on Dot Records , but it is not clear whether it was recorded by the same artist.
The Bernero Band quickly broke up, however, and Bernero left Sun. He then worked as an insurance salesman and died in Kentucky in 2001 at the age of 69.
Discography
| year | title | Label # | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Beautiful Dreamer / Lost | Dot 16098 | |||
| Unpublished titles | |||||
|
Sun Records | ||||
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Bernero, Johnny |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Bernero, Elbert Johnny (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American rockabilly musician and drummer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 22, 1931 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Memphis , Tennessee |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 28, 2001 |
| Place of death | Fulton , Kentucky |