Heinz (singer)

Heinz
Birth name	Heinz Henry George Burt
Born	24 July 1942, Detmold, Germany
Died	7 April 2000 (aged 57), Eastleigh, Hampshire, England
Genres	Pop music
Instruments	Bass guitar
Years active	1962-1970s
Labels	Decca, Columbia (EMI)
Associated acts	The Tornados

Heinz (Heinz Henry George Burt, 24 July 1942, Detmold, Germany – 7 April 2000, Weston, Hampshire, England) was a bassist and singer.

Life

Heinz was born in Detmold, but from the age of seven was brought up in Eastleigh, Hampshire, England, where a road (Heinz Burt Close) is named after him. His biggest solo hit was "Just Like Eddie", a tribute to Eddie Cochran. Before he went solo in early 1963, he was a member of The Tornados. All his 1960s recordings were produced by Joe Meek. He owned the shotgun with which Meek killed his landlady and then himself in 1967, and was questioned by police before they concluded he had nothing to do with their deaths.

Meek's death ended Heinz's recording career as a solo artist although he was in at least two re-formations of the Tornados.^{[citation needed]}

Although often dismissed as a mediocre talent pushed into the spotlight by Meek, he was an enthusiastic performer and worked in pantomime and theatre in the 1970s. In later years he appeared in 1960s revival shows and continued performing until the end; his last set was from a wheelchair at a social club two weeks before his death.

He was portrayed by JJ Feild in Telstar, a film about the life of Joe Meek, which was released in 2009.

Backing groups

He was initially backed by The Saints. His later backing group (The Wild Ones or The Wild Boys) featured Ritchie Blackmore and Mick Underwood amongst others. Blackmore performed on "Just Like Eddie".

Heinz performed at The London Rock and Roll Show in 1972, with John B Sparkes and Wilko Johnson of Dr Feelgood in his backing band.

Death

Crippled by motor neurone disease, Heinz died in 2000, at the age of 57. Friends in Eastleigh hold an annual tribute night to raise funds for a motor neurone charity.

Discography

UK singles

• "Dreams Do Come True" (Meek) / "Been Invited To A Party" (Meek, Burt) - 1963 - Decca F 11652
• "Just Like Eddie" (Goddard) / "Don't You Knock On My Door" - 1963 - Decca F11693 - UK #5
• "I Get Up In The Morning" (Meek) / "Talk Like A Man" / "That Lucky Old Sun" / "Lonely River" (Meek) - 1963 - Decca DFE 8545
• "Live It Up" (Meek) / "Don't You Understand" (Meek) / "When Your Loving Goes Wrong" (Meek) - 1963 - Decca DFE 8559
• "Country Boy" (Goddard) / "Long Tall Jack" (Meek/Lawrence) - 1963 - Decca F11768 - UK #26
• "You Were There" (Goddard) / "No Matter What They Say" (Meek/Lawrence) - 1964 - Decca F 11831 - UK #26
• "Please Little Girl" / "For Loving Me This Way" (Meek) - 1964 - Decca F 11920
• "Questions I Can't Answer" / "Beating Of My Heart" (Meek) - 1964 - Columbia DB7374 - UK #39
• "Diggin' My Potatoes" (Trad, arr. Meek/Burt) / "She Ain't Coming Back" - 1965 - Columbia DB7482 - Heinz & Wild Boys - UK #49
• "End Of The World" / "You Make Me Feel So Good" (Meek) - 1965 - Columbia DB 7656
• "Heart Full Of Sorrow" / "Don't Worry Baby" (Meek /Stephen Reading) - 1965 - Columbia DB 7779
• "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" (Dylan) / "Big Fat Spider" (Meek/Davis) - 1965 - Columbia DB7559 - Heinz & Wild Boys
• "Movin' In" (Adams) / "I'm Not A Bad Guy" - 1966 - Columbia DB 7942

US singles

• 1964: "Questions I Can't Answer" / "Beating Of My Heart" - Tower 110
• 1965: "Digging My Potatoes" / "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" - Tower 172
• 1965: "Don't Worry Baby" / "Heart Full Of Sorrow" - Tower 195
• 1966: "I'm Not A Bad Guy" / "Movin' In" - Tower 253

Albums

• Tribute to Eddie (Decca LK 4599, 1964)
• Live album - Various Artists; Live at The Cavern:"I Got A Woman" (live) / "Somebody To Love" (live) (Decca SLK 16294, 1965)

External links

• www.billyfury.com - Heinz' Last Set / Links to Obituaries
• http://www.discogs.com/artist/Heinz discography