Billy Butler
Billy Butler (born William E. Butler; June 7, 1945 – March 31, 2015) was an American soul singer and songwriter active in the 1960s and 1970s. He was born in Chicago. His elder brother, Jerry, was also a singer and songwriter for whose band Billy played the guitar. Billy Butler formed the vocal group the Enchanters while at high school. He first recorded for Okeh Records in 1963, and was produced initially by Curtis Mayfield and later by Carl Davis. On early recordings he was backed by the Chanters, a renamed version of the Enchanters; other members were Errol Batts and Jesse Tillman. His first and biggest hit was 1965's "I Can't Work No Longer", which reached #6 on the U.S. Billboard R&B Singles chart and #60 on the Billboard Hot 100. The group disbanded in 1966, and after a minor solo hit with "The Right Track" he left Okeh. "The Right Track" is placed at number 11 in the Northern Soul Top 500 He later formed a new group, Infinity, with Batts, Larry Wade and Phyllis Knox. They had three minor R&B hits: "Get on the Case" (#41 R&B, Fountain Records, 1969), "I Don't Want To Lose You" (Memphis Records, #38 R&B, 1971), and "Hung Up On You" (Pride Records, #48 R&B, 1973). He also wrote songs for his brother, as well as for such musicians as Major Lance and Gene Chandler. |
Birth and Death Data: Born June 7, 1945 (Chicago), Died March 31, 2015
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1966 - 1968
Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Decca | 117708 | 7/21/1966 | Love grows bitter | Billy Butler | vocalist | |||
Decca | 117709 | 7/20/1966 | Sweet darling | Billy Butler | vocalist | |||
Decca | 117710 | 7/20/1966 | Help yourself | Billy Butler | vocalist | |||
Decca | 117711 | 7/20/1966 | If you need somebody | Billy Butler | vocalist | |||
Decca | 118745 | 3/16/1967 | Come on over to my side | Billy Butler | vocalist | |||
Decca | 118746 | 3/16/1967 | I can't wait (for your love) | Billy Butler | vocalist | |||
Decca | 119370 | 8/22/1967 | I'll bet you-1 | Billy Butler | vocalist | |||
Decca | 119371 | 8/22/1967 | Careless heart-2 | Billy Butler | vocalist | |||
Decca | 120006 | 2/29/1968 | Thank you baby | Billy Butler | vocalist | |||
Decca | 120007 | 2/29/1968 | Burning touch of love | Billy Butler | vocalist | |||
Decca | 120008 | 2/29/1968 | Other side of love | Billy Butler | vocalist | |||
Decca | 120009 | 2/29/1968 | Love can come on up | Billy Butler | vocalist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Butler, Billy," accessed August 13, 2022, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/306383.
Butler, Billy. (2022). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved August 13, 2022, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/306383.
"Butler, Billy." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2022. Web. 13 August 2022.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Butler, Billy (Vocalist) - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2006114925
Wikidata: Billy Butler (singer) - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q4912309
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/19442148
MusicBrainz: Billy Butler - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/b7d0bd93-a04b-4008-992e-5a948ee52ae7
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
Feedback
Send the Editors a message about this record.