Bernard Butler
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists:
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Bernard Butler
- Genres: Rock
Biography
Hailed by some critics as the greatest guitarist of his generation, Bernard Butler shied away from the ramifications of that statement, abandoning the Brit-pop pioneers Suede at the height of their career in 1994 to pursue his own muse. And, much like his idol Johnny Marr, Butler's solo career was anything but predictable, as he flipped between session work, a duo with David McAlmont, and eventually a recording career as a solo singer/songwriter.Bernard Butler rose to prominence with Suede, the British indie band who fused glam crunch with the songcraft and exaggerated angst of the Smiths. Upon the release of their 1992 debut single "The Drowners," Suede were hailed by many corners of the British music press as the best band in Britain. In many ways, they lived up to the hype, as their eponymous 1993 debut broke sales records and kick-started the indie rock revolution that became as Brit-pop. Despite their success, there were significant signs of trouble behind the scenes. An introspective, quiet man, Butler didn't quite get on with the remaining three members, who tended to revel in the excesses of rock & roll. Although American success eluded them, Suede nevertheless earned a rabid cult in the States and they acted like stars on their first tour, which only alienated Butler more. His father died in the fall of 1993, prompting the band to cancel their tour.
Butler poured much of his sorrow into the creation of "Stay Together," a grandiose single that was Suede's first new music since their debut. Released to great expectations in the 1994, it was viewed as a disappointment, despite its high chart placing. Shortly afterward, the band began working on their second album, the orchestrated epic Dog Man Star. By the summer, tensions were at the breaking point, as illustrated by Butler's criticisms of Anderson in a rare interview with the English magazine Guitar. In August, he decided he had enough and he left the band; he would later criticize Dog Man Star quite heavily.
He didn't stay quiet long. Early in 1995, he hooked up with cult soul singer David McAlmont. It was unclear whether the teaming was permanent or temporary, but that summer they released two singles, "Yes" and "You Do," which were modest successes. By the fall, the duo had split up acrimoniously, with a compilation album, The Sound of McAlmont-Butler, being released early in 1996. For much of that year, he worked as a sideman, playing on albums by Aimee Mann and James' Tim Booth. Early in 1997, he was invited by Richard Ashcroft to play with the reunited Verve. Although the sessions went well, the Verve decided to patch up their differences with their guitarist, Nick McCabe. There were no hard feelings between Butler and the Verve, but the entire experience convinced him it was time to begin a solo career in earnest. He signed with Creation and began work on his first album, playing nearly all the instruments himself. Released in the fall of 1997, his first single, "Stay," indicated that he was going in a more subdued direction than Suede. Those suspicions were confirmed by his full-length debut, People Move On, a folk-tinged singer/songwriter album released to generally positive reviews in the spring of 1998. Friends and Lovers followed two years later. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Bernard Butler
For the Irish politician, see Bernard Butler (Irish politician).
| Bernard Butler | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Bernard Joseph Butler |
| Born | 1 May 1970 Stamford Hill, London, England |
| Genres | Alternative rock, Britpop |
| Occupations | Songwriter, guitarist, record producer |
| Instruments | Guitar, Piano, Vocals, Bass guitar, violin |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Labels | Creation Records Columbia Records (US) |
| Associated acts | Suede The Tears McAlmont and Butler Duffy |
| Website | www.bernardbutler.com |
| Notable instruments | |
| Cherry red Gibson ES-355 TD SV (Stereo Varitone) with a Bigsby tailpiece Gibson Les Paul |
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Bernard Joseph Butler (born 1 May 1970, Stamford Hill, North London) is an English musician and record producer. He first emerged in the early Britpop era with Suede. He has been hailed by some critics as the greatest guitarist of his generation,[1] as well as one of Britain's most original and influential guitarists.[2] He was voted the 24th greatest guitarist of the last 30 years in a national 2010 BBC poll.[3]
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Contents
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Career
He first achieved fame in 1992 as the guitarist with Suede, forging a songwriting partnership with Brett Anderson, at the time an instant phenomenon in UK pop music. He co-wrote and played guitars on every track until 1994, when he exited Suede, leaving behind the Mercury Music Prize winning debut Suede, as well as the follow-up Dog Man Star.
In 1994 Butler formed the duo McAlmont and Butler with David McAlmont. They released two singles, "Yes" and "You Do". A compilation album, The Sound of McAlmont and Butler, was released after the split. He went on to release two solo albums under his own name, People Move On and Friends and Lovers on Creation Records yielding the hit single "Stay". In 2001 Butler teamed up with McAlmont for a second McAlmont and Butler album, Bring it Back, touring the UK with two singles, "Falling" and "Bring it Back".
In 2004 Butler healed his rift with former Suede singer Brett Anderson, forming a new band, The Tears. The Tears released their debut LP, Here Come The Tears, produced by Butler, in June 2005. Singles include "Refugees", which reached #9 in the UK Singles Chart,[4] and "Lovers".
In 2005 he was introduced to Welsh singer Duffy contributing to her five million selling debut Rockferry which was nominated for three Grammy Awards. Butler contributed the title track as well as "Syrup & Honey" which was used in a worldwide Nivea advertisement campaign, produced "Please Stay" for "Telstar - The Movie" and co wrote "Smoke Without Fire", to be used in the 2009 film, An Education. They also produced a cover version of Wings "Live & Let Die" for the 2009 Warchild album at Sir Paul McCartney's request. In 2009 Butler has produced the music for the Diet Coke television advertisement featuring Duffy, as well as a cover of the "Stay With Me Baby" for the Richard Curtis film The Boat That Rocked. The pair continue to collaborate.
He has played on and/or produced records by[5] Aimee Mann, Edwyn Collins, Neneh Cherry, Tim Booth (of James), Duffy, Eddi Reader, Hopper, Roy Orbison, Bert Jansch, The Libertines, Heather Nova, Mark Owen, The Veils, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, The Cribs, Pretenders, The On-Off's, 1990s, The Mescalitas, Cut Off Your Hands, Cajun Dance Party, The View, Arkitekt, Sons and Daughters, Black Kids, Tricky, Sharleen Spiteri and Nerina Pallot. He created the soundtrack to the 1997 film The James Gang and played on the soundtrack of Velvet Goldmine, alongside Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead. He has played live with The Cranberries, Sparks, Paul Weller, Teenage Fanclub, Manic Street Preachers, and Duke Special.
Butler names former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr as his major inspiration. He started learning to play guitar after hearing Marr and was able to play all Smiths songs by ear.[6] He is often seen performing with a 1961 cherry red Gibson ES-355 TD SV (Stereo Varitone) with a Bigsby vibrato tailpiece.
Butler is managed by Rough Trade's Geoff Travis and Jeannette Lee.
Butler won the Producer's Award at the 2009 BRIT Awards,[2] Producer Of The Year at the 2008 Music Managers Forum Awards, and was nominated for Best Producer at the 2009 Music Week Awards.
In 2009 Butler co-wrote/produced/played on tracks by The Veils, Tommy Reilly, Jonathan Jeremiah, Duffy, Kate Jackson, Catherine A.D.[7] He completed Kate Nash's second album My Best Friend Is You at his own "355" Studios .
In 2010 Butler worked concurrently with Nerina Pallot, Fyfe Dangerfield, Noisettes, Slow Club, Gabrielle, Howling Bells, The Veils, Simon Dine, as well as the new artists Vince, Daley, Summer Camp, Joe Worricker, Jodie Low, and Scott McFarnon. He switches between co-writing, producing and performing and sometimes all three on any of these works.
Discography
Suede
- 1993 - Suede - Suede (Mercury Music Prize winner)
- singles: "The Drowners", "Metal Mickey", "Animal Nitrate", "So Young"
- 1994 - Suede - "Stay Together" (Non-album single)
- 1994 - Suede - Dog Man Star
- singles: "We are the Pigs", "The Wild Ones", "New Generation"
- 1997 - Suede - Sci-Fi Lullabies
- (collection of Suede B-sides)
Solo
- 1998 - Bernard Butler - People Move On
- 1999 - Bernard Butler - Friends and Lovers
- singles: "Friends and Lovers", "You Must Go On"
McAlmont and Butler
- 1995 - McAlmont and Butler - The Sound of McAlmont and Butler
- 2002 - McAlmont and Butler - Bring It Back
- singles: "Falling", "Bring it Back"
- 2006 - McAlmont and Butler
- single: "Speed"
The Tears
- 2005 - The Tears - Here Come The Tears
Collaborator/producer
- Aimee Mann - I'm With Stupid (1995)
- Neneh Cherry - Man (1996)
- Booth and the Bad Angel - Booth And The Bad Angel (1996)
- Hopper - English And French (1996)
- Bert Jansch - Crimson Moon (2000) and Edge of a Dream (2002)
- Heather Nova - South (2001)
- Bernard & Edwyn - "Message For Jojo" (2001)
- The Libertines - "What a Waster" (2002), "Don't Look Back Into The Sun" (2003)
- Mark Owen - "Four Minute Warning" (2003), co-wrote b-side "Jay Walker"
- Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Shoot from the Hip (2003)
- The Veils - The Runaway Found (2003), Sun Gangs (2009)
- The Cribs - "You're Gonna Lose Us" (2005)
- 1990s - Cookies (2007), Kicks (2009)
- Sharleen Spiteri - Melody (2008)
- Sons And Daughters - This Gift (2008)
- Cajun Dance Party - The Colourful Life (2008)
- Duffy - Rockferry (2008)
- Black Kids - Partie Traumatic (2008)
- Tricky - Knowle West Boy (2008)
- Duke Special - I Never Thought This Day Would Come (2008)
- Cut Off Your Hands - You And I (2008)
- Findlay Brown - Love Will Find You (2009)
- Tommy Reilly - Words On The Floor (2009)
- Fyfe Dangerfield - "Faster Than the Setting Sun" and "She Needs Me", Fly Yellow Moon (2010)
- Kate Nash - My Best Friend Is You (2010)
- Nerina Pallot - Year of the Wolf (2011)
References
- ^ "Bernard Butler biography". Allmusic
- ^ a b "The lowdown on Brits bright stars". BBC News. 18 February 2009
- ^ "The Axe Factor". BBC. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 550. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Personales.ya.com
- ^ "Return of the axe". The Guardian. 25 August 2006
- ^ Catherinead.com
External links
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