Larry Butler

Larry Lee Butler

American country producer, songwriter, pianist and keyboard player. (b. March 26, 1942, Pensacola, Florida - d. January 19, 2012, of natural causes, Pensacola, FL.)
Not to be confused with the country singer [a=Larry Butler (4)].

Butler began his career at the age of six with the [a=Harry James and his Orchestra]; at age ten he sang with [a=Red Foley], and before he was old enough to drive he had hosted his own radio show and played piano on The Lynn Toney Show. He eventually joined a Florida band, Jerry Woodward and the Esquires. While on a trip to Nashville, he met a noted publisher/producer, [a=Buddy Killen] of Tree International. In 1963, with Killen's encouragement, Butler moved to Nashville. Soon his unique style of piano playing supported such hits as "Hello Darlin" by [a=Conway Twitty] and "Honey" by [a=Bobby Goldsboro]. Butler was in high demand as a Nashville session player and backed up Nashville celebrities such as [a=Johnny Cash], [a=Roger Miller], [a=George Jones (2)], [a=Tammy Wynette], [a=Loretta Lynn], [a=Dolly Parton], [a=Jerry Lee Lewis], [a=Charlie Rich], [a=Lynn Anderson] and more.

Moving to Memphis in the late 1960s, Butler hooked-up with [a=Chips Moman]. Butler played keyboards in the rock group [a=Ronny & The Daytonas], who had a hit song with "GTO." Later, as a member of [a=The Gentrys], they hit the pop charts with "Keep on Dancing" and "Every Day I Have to Cry Some." During that same period, Butler co-wrote [a=The Poppies (3)] hit single "Lullaby Of Love". He was signed as a solo artist and served as Bobby Goldsboro's pianist and music director. Butler returned to Nashville to join [l=Capitol Records] as an in-house producer. The first single he produced, "Seven Lonely Days", became a Billboard Top-20 Country single for [a=Jean Shepard] in 1969. Moving on to CBS Records at the urging of legendary producer [a=Billy Sherrill], Butler worked closely with [a=Johnny Cash] producing some of his biggest hits in the 1970s. In 1973 Butler made one of his most significant career moves by joining [l=United Artists Records] as head of the label's Nashville division. His leadership and vision brought in such acts as [a=Kenny Rogers], [a=Crystal Gayle], [a=Dottie West] and [a=The Kendalls] and established the label as one of the most successful and respected in Nashville.

Eventually Butler left UA and started his own independent company, [l=Larry Butler Productions]. His acts included [a=Charlie Rich] ("You're Gonna Love yourself In The Morning"), [a=Mac Davis] ("It's Hard To Be Humble"), [a=Debby Boone] ("Are You On The Road To Loving Me Again"), [a=Billie Jo Spears] ("Blanket On The Ground"), [a=Don McLean] ("Crying"). and [a=John Denver] ("Some Days Are Diamonds"). 1980 brought Butler to the spotlight again with his Grammy for Producer of the Year and solidified his reputation as a hit maker. 1984 was the year Butler formed his music company, Larry Butler Music Group, Inc. He signed writers [a=Mickey Newbury], [a=Dean Dillon], [a=Bud McGuire], [a=Paul Nelson (6)], [a=Marty Raybon] and [a=Julie Didier]. LBMG produced a string of hits for [a=George Strait], and produced songs for [a=Keith Whitley], [a=Vern Gosdin], [a=Moe Bandy], [a=Shenandoah], [a=Razzy Bailey], [a=Larry Boone (2)], [a=T.G. Sheppard] and more.

http://www.musicrow.com/2012/01/producer-and-songwriter-larry-butler-passes/
http://repertoire.bmi.com/writer.asp?blnWriter=True&blnPublisher=True&blnArtist=True&page=1&fromrow=1&torow=25&querytype=WriterID&cae=4694492&affiliation=BMI&keyid=48106&keyname=BUTLER+LARRY+LEE
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Butler_%28producer%29