Artist Bio
Canadian songwriter/producer Kenny Butterill is back and touring to support his new release “TROUBADOUR TALES”. According to industry reviews, Butterill has delivered again – the long anticipated CD had a sound and feel that is true to Butterill’s legacy of delivering “rootsy, folksy, bluesy, Americana, alt.country, feel good music”.
The CD debuted in the top 10 of leading Americana and Roots Music charts globally and in the process made Butterill’s TROUBADOUR TALES one of the highest charting Canadian recordings in the history of those charts. Sometimes compared to Gordon Lightfoot, J.J. Cale, John Prine and Townes van Zant, Butterill’s music has garnered airplay on hundreds of radio stations and has endeared him to markets all over the world.
In the year 2000, Butterill was a virtual unknown. The release of his debut album, NO ONE YOU KNOW, changed all that and put him on the cutting edge of the progressive music scene. His single, “How Far Can We Go?” became the first ever Americana-format song to crossover and become a #1 Country hit in Europe after spending several months in the Canadian Country Charts. (Check out reviews at www.kennybutterill.com.)
Butterill’s next album JUST A SONGWRITER saw his popularity soar even higher. During its unveiling in Cannes, France at MIDEM, JUST A SONGWRITER caught the watchful eyes of the industry and reviewers who sung its praises. Not surprising this CD also generated a #1 hit and received many accolades including “Best Alt-Country/Americana CD Award” by True West Magazine in its 50th Anniversary Round up of the Best of the West. The CD spent many weeks in the Americana Top 40 Charts and in the other leading Roots/Country/Folk music charts around the world. (Check out reviews at www.kennybutterill.com.)
As Butterill noted in the title track of his “Just A Songwriter” CD, he’s in this for the art. So, after wrapping the long run of promoting that album, he retreated into the redwood forest of Northern California where he’s lived for over 20 years, became a “big boat” certified sailor and built a new cottage up in his native Canada. He’s gone to that “Balsam Lake” cottage property all his life and it is where many of the Troubadour Tales tunes were written – some with a Harmony acoustic guitar given to him by his friend Willie P Bennett he likes to point out.
2013 was a big year – it was when Butterill decided to play live for the first time – ever. Hard to believe (and a very interesting story unto itself), but prior to this Butterill wanted to be and was, “Just A Songwriter”. 2013 and 2014 saw Butterill performing at intimate venues, house concerts, festivals and theaters in the USA and Canada. Highlights in 2013 included appearances at sold out events such as the sixteenth annual and final wake at the Old Quarter in Galveston, TX for Townes van Zandt, the final (Neil Young) Youngtown Museum Benefit Concert in Ontario, Canada and ending the year with a standing room only show at the Ugly Mug in Soquel, California. He had a full schedule in 2014 and 2015 which found him touring in Europe, Texas, the west coast of California and Eastern and Western Canada.
In addition to being on tour in 2013 and 2014, Butterill also produced TROUBADOUR TALES, the third CD/album produced by the Canadian singer/songwriter. It’s a compelling collection of stories and songs about real life, love and romance – all transcendent. Butterill has over 20 world class musicians performing on it with him including Donovan, Cindy Cashdollar, the late Sarah Elizabeth Campbell, John Lee Sanders, Ray Bonneville, Redd Volkaert, Rob Ikes, David Grier, John Reishman, Washboard Hank and Linda McRae among others. The rhythm section included his well known Bay Area friends Jim Norris (percussion), Jim Lewin (guitar), and Bill Layman (bass), each of whom recorded with him on his prior CD. Long time JJ Cale colleague and friend, producer David Teegarden, mastered the TROUBADOUR TALES project which was recorded in several locations including Europe.
The songs selected for the new CD emerged from the songwriting immersion Butterill has been in for the past ten years. Dubbed “the romantic poet of Americana music” by Dallas Dobro the dean of Americana DJs, Butterill writes close to the heart and this is reflected in the new offering. TROUBADOUR TALES also offers a retrospective of Butterill’s past, present and future observations on world events and the human state. Filled with inviting melodies, masterful songwriting and engaging, earthy vocals, TROUBADOUR TALES is Kenny Butterill personified: compassionate, sensitive and diverse, yet singularly individualistic. (Check out reviews at www.kennybutterill.com.)
Butterill began writing songs during his teens in Canada where he was born and raised and his hobby soon became a challenging outlet for his inspirations. In the early 1990s, Butterill began pitching his tunes and in the late 1990s his music received a very positive reception in the burgeoning online music world. Friends and fans encouraged him to do a CD. NO ONE YOU KNOW was the result and the rest, as they say, is history.
When not performing, working on new songs, producing or advising other artists and bands, Butterill continues to be a “serious student of the universe” with interests in Eastern mysticism, mythology, social justice, politics and red wine – not necessarily in that order. Residing high in the rugged outback of the Santa Cruz Mountains in Northern California for over twenty years, Butterill thrives on the grounding that emanates from the isolation and solitude that the wilderness offers. He spends part of the year at his Balsam Lake cottage north of Toronto, Canada and when he’s back in Santa Cruz you will often find him sailing “big boats” in the Monterey Bay off the coast of California.
The native Canadian who has been a resident of the USA since the 1980s has been praised as a songwriter of great substance and depth. His repertoire delivers on both counts. Richly textured but never overproduced, Butterill’s music has the warm ambience of an intimate setting with an up-close, personal vibe. This is due in no small part to the creative control that Butterill, the producer, exercises from recording to mixing, a role he takes very seriously.
With true emotion and empathy, Butterill’s music gives us a glimpse inside the man whose insightful, sometimes imaginative, perceptions about mankind bear the signature stamp of his personality. With a passionate, unwavering focus on creativity and quality, Butterill continues to forge his own path, delivering musical magic that truly connects with Roots, Americana, Alt-Country and Folk-Blues music fans around the world.
For the latest updates on Kenny Butterill including tour dates or to book a show please visit www.KennyButterill.com or www.NoBullSongs.com
Client Representation: Jan Janssen JJ Management & Promotions, The Netherlands Phone +31 481 432820 Mobile +31 6 12048708