Biography
Although not a household name within soul or rock, Aalon Butler has earned recognition among dedicated followers of 1970s music through his role supporting British vocalist Eric Burdon and his brief leadership of the band Aalon. Based in Los Angeles, Butler cut the little-known single “Gettin’ Soul, Pts. 1-2” as Aalon Butler & the New Breed Band before joining Burdon’s lineup in 1973. Burdon had first gained fame as the frontman of the Animals, the prominent British Invasion outfit responsible for hits such as “We Got to Get Out of This Place,” “Don’t Bring Me Down,” “House of the Rising Sun,” and “It’s My Life.” Following the Animals’ 1969 dissolution, Burdon settled in southern California and spent several years with the L.A.-based funk-soul ensemble War, whose manager Jerry Goldstein also oversaw Aalon. Burdon contributed to War’s Latin-tinged breakthrough track “Spill the Wine,” yet exited the group in 1971 at the peak of its success to assemble the Eric Burdon Band. Butler fit naturally as Burdon’s guitarist, sharing an equal regard for rock and R&B and a desire to merge the two styles—an approach informed by the Animals’ soul and blues roots as well as War’s rock-inflected funk. Butler sustained that blend after departing Burdon, launching Aalon in 1976 with Juan Luis Cabaza on keyboards, Luther Rabb on bass, and Ron Hammond on drums. The group signed to Arista Records and released its debut album, Cream City, in 1977 under Goldstein’s production. Beyond guitar duties, Butler supplied all lead vocals and handled most of the songwriting, sometimes assisted by Goldstein. Reflecting Butler’s admiration for Sly & the Family Stone, Graham Central Station, Ike & Tina Turner, and the Isley Brothers, among others, Cream City emerged as a soul-funk recording carrying clear rock accents. In an ideal scenario the album would have positioned Butler alongside Prince, Larry Graham, George Clinton, or Rick James, but the 1977 release never achieved comparable commercial success; observers have suggested Aalon may have proved too funky for rock radio and too rock-oriented for R&B outlets, even though the band’s rock leanings stopped short of those heard in Mother’s Finest. Aalon never recorded a second album, though Butler continued performing throughout Los Angeles during the late 1970s and 1980s. Thump Records reissued Cream City on CD in 1996.