Bernard Butler

Critics in select circles once labeled Bernard Butler the finest guitarist of his era, yet he distanced himself from the weight of that claim by exiting the Brit-pop forerunners Suede in 1994 at the peak of their success to follow his own creative direction. Much like his idol Johnny Marr, Butler charted an unpredictable course afterward, moving between session appearances, a partnership with David McAlmont, and a later phase as a solo singer and songwriter.

Butler first gained attention as a member of Suede, the British indie outfit that merged glam-driven force with the melodic craft and heightened emotional turbulence associated with the Smiths. Their 1992 debut single “The Drowners” prompted widespread acclaim from segments of the UK press, which quickly proclaimed Suede the nation’s leading band. The self-titled 1993 debut album justified much of the attention by shattering sales benchmarks and igniting the indie-rock surge later termed Brit-pop. Behind the public triumph, however, friction mounted inside the group. A reserved and reflective individual, Butler found little common ground with his three bandmates, who embraced the more extravagant aspects of rock life. Although commercial breakthrough in America never materialized, Suede cultivated an intense following in the States and conducted themselves like established stars on their initial tour, further widening the rift with Butler. The death of his father in the fall of 1993 led the band to cancel scheduled dates.

Butler channeled much of his grief into “Stay Together,” an expansive single that marked Suede’s first new recording after their debut album. Issued amid heightened anticipation in 1994, the track reached a strong chart position yet drew criticism for falling short of expectations. The group soon began sessions for their second album, the elaborately arranged epic Dog Man Star. By summer the atmosphere had deteriorated sharply, evident in Butler’s pointed remarks about Anderson in a rare Guitar magazine interview. In August he concluded he could no longer continue and departed; he would later voice strong reservations about Dog Man Star itself.

Butler resurfaced quickly. Early in 1995 he joined forces with cult soul vocalist David McAlmont. The collaboration’s permanence remained uncertain, but the pair issued two singles that summer—“Yes” and “You Do”—both achieving modest chart success. By autumn the duo had parted on strained terms, and a compilation, The Sound of McAlmont-Butler, appeared early in 1996. Throughout much of that year Butler worked as a session musician, contributing to albums by Aimee Mann and James frontman Tim Booth. Early in 1997 Richard Ashcroft invited him to record with the reunited Verve. Although the sessions proved productive, the band ultimately reconciled with guitarist Nick McCabe. No lasting animosity existed between Butler and the Verve, yet the episode prompted him to commit fully to a solo path. He signed with Creation and recorded his debut album almost entirely on his own. The lead single “Stay,” released in autumn 1997, signaled a quieter, more introspective approach than his Suede work. That direction was confirmed by the full-length People Move On, a folk-inflected singer-songwriter set that received largely favorable notices upon its spring 1998 release. Friends and Lovers appeared two years later.