Billy Butler’s Swinging Blues

For this month’s Crossroads, John Wheatcroft discovers the legendary guitarist behind the 1956 hit instrumental Honky Tonk, and much more besides.

Billy Butler was a wonderful guitarist with a beautiful tone, inventive lines and impressive stylistic range that included authentic blues, swinging jazz, genre defining R&B chops and much more besides. Probably most famous for his work in the mid 50s with pianist and organist Bill Doggett, and more specifically for the 1956 instrumental that he co-wrote with Doggett, Honky Tonk, Butler maintained a steady career as session musician, sideman and leader in his own right.

Butler’s playing swung like crazy and was rooted in the blues, although the influence of Charlie Christian was also clearly evident. Billy’s lines were always super clear, with a real sense of both melodic and rhythmic intent. This direct and at times simple melodic playing can be deceptively difficult to deliver with authority, as every note really counts and any rhythmic anomaly or glitch in the delivery stands out a mile. Needless to say, Butler made everything sound effortless and the musical ideas that he conjured up and delivered expertly, always sounded like they originated directly from his musical imagination, and not from any kind of memorised finger pattern or shape.