Disco soul singer songwriter & guitarist
Born in July 28, 1955, Washington, D.C.
Died September 23, 2022 (Age 67)
Though never achieving superstar status, Burch had an impressive decade of hits from 1975-85, and also played an important role backing other stars as a guitar whiz.
With elements of Parliament and many of the self-contained funk band of the era, Burch recorded for a half dozen labels, including stints on Columbia, United Artists and Casablanca. In the process, he landed big R&B and dance hits with “Do It To me” and “Changes,” and his dance hit “Get Up” became the foundation for the Deee-Lite smash hit “Groove Is In The Heart” more than a decade later.
But many soul music fans may know Burch for his time working in a series of legendary R&B acts. He was a teenage prodigy when he joined The Delfonics’ band, and he later played with the Bar-Kays for a half decade, backing many of the Stax Records albums of the time.
As the 2000s arose, Burch became a minister, and in 2011 recorded The Inside Out Project as Reverend Vernon Burch.
discogsReal Name: Vernon Darrell Burch Profile: Singer and guitarist, born July 28, 1955 in Washington, D.C. Played with the Bar-Kays for a few years during the early-1970s before embarking on a solo career In 1975 Burch was signed to United Artists, where he released his debut album, I'll Be Your Sunshine. Later he moved to Columbia Records and then Chocolate City Records, which was distributed by Casablanca Records and Filmworks. He later recorded for Spector. Two of his singles, "Changes (Messin' With My Mind) in 1975 and "Do It To Me" in 1981, made it into the Billboard R&B top 20 chart. Burch's other singles include "Brighter Days", "Love Is", "Never Can Find A Way (Hot Love)", "Once Again In My Life", "Get Up", and "Fun City".
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