Heinz Burt

Biography

Heinz was born in Detmold, Germany, and from age seven was raised in Eastleigh, Hampshire, England, after his German father was killed in World War II and his mother moved to Britain. Influenced by US singer Eddie Cochran, he played in the local group the Falcons during the 1950s. While working in a Southampton grocery shop, he attracted the attention of record producer Joe Meek, who became his mentor and styled his image, persuading him to peroxide his hair.

Musical career

As a member of the Tornados, Heinz was part of the group that produced the multi-million selling hit "Telstar." Meek, who was in love with Heinz, attempted to launch a solo career for him. Heinz's first solo single, "Dreams Do Come True," had his vocals overdubbed by another Meek artist due to the inadequacies of his voice, and it was a commercial failure. Meek vigorously promoted Heinz, sending him on tour with Gene Vincent and Jerry Lee Lewis, but audiences did not take to him; he was attacked on stage and had beans thrown over him, a reference to Heinz Baked Beans.

His next and biggest-selling solo hit was "Just Like Eddie," a tribute to Eddie Cochran, which coincided with the emergence of the Beatles and marked the high point of his commercial success. Two successful EPs, "Heinz" and "Live It Up," followed, and in 1963 he appeared in the British music film "Live It Up!" as Ron. After a well-received tour with Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas and Bobby Rydell, Heinz was seen as belonging to an earlier rock and roll era as Merseybeat grew popular.

His cover of Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" was another commercial failure. A move from Decca to Columbia yielded a minor hit with "Diggin' My Potatoes." Professional and personal differences with Meek emerged, and after Heinz introduced his girlfriend to Meek, their relationship faltered. Heinz had lived briefly in Meek's flat but moved out due to disagreements over royalties, leaving some possessions including a shotgun.

That shotgun was used by Meek to kill his landlady and himself in 1967; Heinz was questioned by police but was cleared of any involvement.

Personal life

JJ Feild played Heinz in the 2009 film Telstar, which portrayed him as Joe Meek’s gay lover during a period when homosexual acts were illegal in the UK. Heinz’s family rejected this depiction, calling it a slur, and his ex-wife Della Burke, married to him at his peak fame, insisted, “It is completely and utterly untrue.

Heinz was definitely heterosexual.” In a 1991 BBC documentary, Heinz was asked if Meek was in love with him. He answered, “Yes. It’s an infatuation ... that was the thing with him, where I told him to get off, that I wasn’t into that sort of thing ... if there’s something you can’t have, you want it even more.” Heinz suffered from motor neurone disease and died in 2000 at age 57 after a stroke. His cremation took place at Southampton Crematorium in Hampshire, in the East Chapel, where the song Telstar was played during the service.