Johnny Burke (Newfoundland songwriter)

Burke was born in St. John's.^[2] His father was a sea captain who died when Johnny was about fourteen; his mother also died when he was a teenager. Burke continued to live with his sister and brother on Prescott Street in St. John's until his death.^[3]

As a young man he worked as store clerk and salesman.^[4] He opened a small grocery store on Prescott Street.^[3]

Burke wrote hundreds of songs, many of which were comedic ballads about life in Newfoundland.^[5] He also wrote songs chronicling local events, including fires, storms and shipwrecks.^[6] He sold the lyrics to these in the form of broadside ballads from his store and on the city streets.^[7][8][9] While his lyrics were his own compositions, he often sang them using the melodies to popular songs of the day or to traditional Irish tunes.^[3]

Burke wrote a number of plays, musical comedies and operettas, mostly based happenings and issues in Newfoundland at the time, which he staged in St. John's.^[10][11][2]

In the 1960s a collection of Burke's songs was published by balladeer John White.^[12] In 1974 the Newfoundland Historical Society published a short book written by Paul Mercer about Burke's songs. The Ballads of John Burke: A Short Anthology.^[13][14] A musical comedy of his life, starring Ron Hynes,^[15] was performed in St. John's by The Mummers' Troupe in 1977.^[16][17]

Popular songs by Burke include:

• The Night Paddy Murphy Died
• Cod Liver Oil^[18]
• Murphy Broke the Pledge
• Who Shipped the Moonshine to St. John's
• The Spring Maurice Crotty Fought the Old Dog-hood
• The Kelligrews Soiree^[19]
• The Trinity Cake
• Never Been There Before
• Betsy Brennan's Blue Hen
• Excursion Around the Bay^[20]
• Little Boneen
• The Flemings of Torbay
• The Hat My Father Wore
• The Landfall of Cabot
• The Sealers Gained the Strike
• The Valley of Kilbride