Sonny Burns was an influential yet underappreciated figure in the honky tonk genre of country music. Born Clyde Burns Jr. on September 19, 1930, in Lufkin, Texas, he later moved with his family to Nacogdoches and then Houston. Burns began playing guitar in his early teens and by 19 was performing on a local radio show. He served as a sideman for Texas country artists Eddie Noack and R.D. Hendon before pausing his career to join the Air Force.

In 1953, after his military service, Burns recorded demos that led to a regional release on HJA Records and a contract with Starday Records. His single "Too Hot to Handle" was a hit in Texas, but his follow-up, "A Place for Girls Like You," was overshadowed by a version from Faron Young. Burns frequently appeared on the Houston Hometown Jamboree show and recorded duets with George Jones, with whom he shared a friendship and a penchant for alcohol.

Burns' career suffered due to his personal issues, including missing performances and delivering inconsistent shows. After parting ways with Starday in 1956, he recorded sporadically, releasing singles with TNT and United Artists, but none achieved commercial success. By 1968, after unreleased sessions with MGM, Burns retired from music. He became a born-again Christian, worked as a pastor, and supported himself as a hair stylist in Nacogdoches. Burns passed away on October 21, 1992.

Posthumously, his work gained recognition among classic country collectors, leading to reissues of his Starday recordings by Righteous Records and Bear Family. These collections highlighted his contributions to the honky tonk style, preserving his legacy as an unsung hero of the genre.