Pittsburgh has lost another of its early pop-rock pioneers.
Bill Burkette, the baritone lead singer for the ‘60s group The Vogues, died Thursday of lymphoma at 75.
Mr. Burkette, who grew up in Turtle Creek, initially formed the Val-Aires with his high school buddies Don Miller, Hugh Geyer and Chuck Blasko. They cut their first record, a cover of Petula Clark’s “You're the One,” in 1965 at Pittsburgh’s Gateway Recording Studio.
During the session, they caught the ear of Nick Cenci, who had had prior success with Lou Christie at local label Co & Ce. He got them on KQV radio and national distribution and, renamed the Vogues, after the old Vogue Terrace Supper Club in White Oak, they saw “You’re the One” leap to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. They followed that up with another No. 4 hit, “Five O'Clock World,” a rocker capturing the hard-working, hard-partying spirit of their hometown.
While that was happening, it really was a 5 o’clock world for Mr. Burkette and Mr. Blasko, who were both machine operators at Westinghouse Air Brake. It wasn’t until they had their third hit, “Magic Town” (No. 21) in 1966, that they left their jobs at Westinghouse and went on the road.
“The Land of Milk and Honey” went to No. 29, and then, with the Vogues picked up by Reprise Records, they went Top 10 again with “Turn Around, Look at Me” and “My Special Angel,” both landing at No. 7.
Between 1967 and 1970, they appeared on “The Tonight Show,” “American Bandstand,” “The Red Skelton Show” and more, and toured as far as England, Australia and Singapore. In the States, they traveled in two twin-engine Cessnas, working almost 300 one-nighters in a year.
It didn’t take long before the traveling took its toll on their families, so The Vogues settled back in as a local group the ‘70s. Mr. Burkette, living in Murrysville, took a day job as a sales manager for a home improvement company to support his three kids, while also performing with the Vogues until 1983. Eventually, Mr. Blasko kept the group going as the lone original member.
Through the ‘80s and ‘90s, the idea of who was “the one” became confused, as there were at least three versions of The Vogues, including one based in Atlanta. The Vogues’ trademark, which had been owned by a former and not original member, was purchased by Pittsburgh singer Stan Elich, leaving Mr. Blasko’s Vogues limited to performing in 14 Western Pennsylvania counties.
In 2008, Mr. Burkette, who had retired from the home improvement business, followed Mr. Geyer’s lead in joining Mr. Elich’s official Vogues, and started touring between 80 and 100 dates per year.
“Hugh called Bill and said ‘You wanna come out and tour with these guys?’ It was that simple,” said Troy Elich, who has led the group since his father Stan died in 2010. With that, the group’s credibility was set. “It was like having the Rolling Stones without Mick Jagger there, and now we had Mick Jagger. I had been singing lead. I stepped aside, it was no problem for me.”
A year later, at the Roots of Rock and Roll Vol. 35 show the Benedum, oldies fans saw the Burkette-Geyer version here of the Vogues for the first time decades. In 2010, Mr. Burkette and Mr. Geyer recorded together for the first time in almost 40 years, releasing “The Vogues Sings The Hits Live.”
In November, The Skyliners, Chuck Blasko's Vogues, The Marcels and The Jaggerz assembled for "A Night of Pittsburgh Legends" charity concert at the Carnegie Music Hall in Homestead to honor Mr. Burkette.
“I have always thought of him and the Vogues as having super tight harmony and a smooth sound,” said Donna Groom, a longtime member of the Skyliners. “Every song stuck in my head after shows we did with him. Always a class act.”
The group posted on its page Thursday: “Bill was the founding member and backbone of the Vogues and the many hit songs, TV and concert appearances.”
He is survived by his wife Elaine M. Downing Burkette; daughters Lori (Greg) Cinna and Sheri (Scott) Good, and son William W. (Julie) Burkette, IV; and three grandchildren.
Visitation is Sunday from 2-6 p.m. at the Jobe Funeral Home & Crematory Inc., 118 Shaw Ave. in Turtle Creek. A funeral service will follow at 6 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to American Cancer Society.
First Published: March 2, 2018, 3:46 p.m.
