Henry Butler

Henry Butler's blues-based, New Orleans funk-style piano playing was not for every blues fan, to be sure. Butler was a local legend in New Orleans, but rarely toured other parts of the country; most any time of the year he could be found playing in one of New Orleans' famous night spots. It's not an exaggeration to say Butler was a piano genius who was not discovered by the masses. His recordings demonstrated that he could do it all: he wrote his own songs, did his own arrangements of classic tunes by Professor Longhair and others, and could play with as much passion as a soloist as he could with a band. What made him great -- but admittedly difficult for record companies to market -- was that he constantly pushed himself in new directions as a musician. He couldn't be pigeonholed as blues, jazz, or even rock & roll, though he performed all three genres with impeccable taste, depth of understanding, and freshness of appreciation. Butler's playing also reflected influences like gospel and classic R&B.