Lester Alvin (Smiley) Burnette (March 18, 1911 – February 16, 1967), an American singer-songwriter who could play as many as 100 different musical instruments, was a successful comedy actor in Western films over three decades. Burnette was born in Summum, Illinois. He began singing in childhood and learned to play a variety of instruments while still a boy. In his teens, he worked in vaudeville and at a local radio station. His break came when he was hired to perform on the National Barn Dance on Chicago's WLS radio station where Gene Autry was the show's major star.

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