Jon Butcher

Jon Butcher, a disciple of Jimi Hendrix, registered moderate chart success in the mid-'80s while fronting the Jon Butcher Axis as its singer and guitarist. Emerging from Boston's club circuit in the early '80s, the Axis—whose lineup featured Chris Mann on bass and Derek Blevins on drums—released a self-titled debut in 1983, followed by Stare at the Sun in 1984 and Along the Axis in 1985. Butcher later abandoned the Axis name for 1986's Wishes and 1989's Pictures From the Front. The group supported local heroes the J. Geils Band as well as other harder-edged acts, and placed several tracks on radio and MTV, including "Wishes," "Goodbye Saving Grace," and "Life Takes a Life." Through the '90s Butcher kept issuing solo albums such as Positively the Blues (1995) and Electric Factory (1996); a hits collection, The Best Of: Dreamers Would Ride, appeared in 1998, and the archival concert recording King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents followed in 1999. Outside his recording work, Butcher established the Electric Factory Recording Studio, which concentrates chiefly on film, TV, and multimedia projects.