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b. 26 March 1942, Pensacola, Florida, USA. Butler had something of an unusual start to his musical career; a child prodigy pianist, he played guest piano with the Harry James orchestra at six, sang with Red Foley at 10, hosted his own radio show and co-hosted a television show at 12 and at 13, he won a five-state major talent competition in classical music. He played with local Florida groups but at the suggestion of Buddy Killen of Tree Publishing, Butler moved to Nashville, in 1963, where he easily found work as a studio pianist. In the late 60s, for a time he was a member of the Memphis rock band the Gentrys, and also co-wrote ‘Lullaby Of Love’, a pop hit for the Poppies. United Artists Records signed him to a solo contract but he also became pianist and music director for Bobby Goldsboro, playing on Goldsboro’s 1968 hit ‘Honey’. He became a producer for Capitol Records in 1969, soon gaining success when the very first single he worked on, Jean Shepard’s ‘Seven Lonely Days’, became ...