Smiley Burnette
Smiley Burnette | |
|---|---|
Burnette in 1937 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Lester Alvin Burnett |
| Also known as | Smiley Burnette |
| Born | March 18, 1911 Summum, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | February 16, 1967 (aged 55) Encino, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Country music |
| Occupations |
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| Instrument(s) | Accordion, guitar, banjo, many others |
| Years active | 1933–1967 |
| Labels | Abbott Starday Capitol Columbia ARA Rancho |
| Website | Smiley Burnette.org |
Lester Alvin Burnett (March 18, 1911 – February 16, 1967), better known as Smiley Burnette, was an American country music performer and a comedic actor in Western films and on radio and TV, playing sidekick to Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and other B-movie cowboys. He was also a prolific singer-songwriter who is reported to have played proficiently over 100 musical instruments, sometimes more than one simultaneously. His career, beginning in 1934, spanned four decades, including a regular role on CBS-TV's Petticoat Junction in the 1960s.