Billy Butler

Billy Butler, a guitarist fluent in soul-jazz and blues, deftly combined Charlie Christian’s phrasing with the grooves and backbeats typical of 1950s R&B. From his hollow-bodied electric instrument he produced a rich, rounded tone while crafting solos and fills that sounded uncomplicated yet became core components of the R&B guitar lexicon. Bill Doggett’s “Honky Tonk,” on which Butler appeared, remains a defining model of the R&B guitar instrumental. Other standout pieces from his years with Doggett are “Ram-Bunk-Shush” and “Big Boy.” He first performed with the doo wop and R&B vocal group the Harlemaires in the late 1940s, fronted small ensembles until 1952, and then joined Doc Bagby’s trio. While working with Doggett from 1954 to 1961, Butler co-wrote “Honky Tonk.” In the 1960s he also recorded alongside King Curtis, Dinah Washington, Panama Francis, Johnny Hodges, Jimmy Smith, and David “Fathead” Newman. Beginning in the late 1960s he played in Broadway pit bands yet continued to record with Houston Person and Norris Turney through the late 1960s and 1970s. During the late 1960s and early 1970s he led his own group and cut sides for Prestige. He further recorded with Al Casey and Jackie Williams. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s he toured Europe regularly and completed sessions both there and in the United States.