Jon Butcher facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jon Butcher
Background information
Origin	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres	Rock, blues
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter, record producer
Years active	1970s–present

Jon Butcher, born around 1955 or 1956, is an American musician. He is known for his rock and blues music. Jon is a talented songwriter, guitarist, and also works as a producer for different types of media.

Jon Butcher's Musical Style

Many people have compared Jon Butcher to the famous guitarist Jimi Hendrix. This was especially true when Jon's career was just starting. These comparisons happened because Jon looked and acted a bit like Hendrix on stage. Also, his band was named Axis, which was a nod to Hendrix's album Axis: Bold as Love.

Jon Butcher says his main influences are artists like Richie Havens, John Lennon, Phil Lynott, Bob Dylan, and Taj Mahal. He believes the comparisons to Hendrix are mostly about how he looks. He once said that besides being Black and playing a Stratocaster guitar, he didn't think he was very much like Jimi Hendrix.

Early Bands and Performances

Johanna Wild: A Boston Band

In the mid to late 1970s, Jon Butcher toured the Northeast U.S. with a band from Boston called Johanna Wild. Other members of the band included Jeff Linscott on guitar, Derek Blevins on drums, and Troy Douglas Sutler III on bass. Their song, "Suzanne," was played on local radio stations like WBCN. Johanna Wild even opened a show for the band Foghat in Concord, New Hampshire, on May 2, 1977.

Forming Jon Butcher Axis

Jon Butcher became well-known on MTV and the radio station WBCN in Boston. He then formed a new band called Jon Butcher Axis. The band included Sandy Higgins on guitar, Chris Martin on bass, and Derek Blevins, who was also the drummer for Johanna Wild. Jon Butcher Axis opened for the famous band Kiss in Fort Worth, Texas, in October 1979.

Soon after, Sandy Higgins left to lead another band. Later, Jon Butcher Axis became a power trio, which means a band with three members. They performed all over New England.

Touring and First Albums

Opening for The J. Geils Band

Jon Butcher Axis went on tour with J. Geils Band in 1982. They were part of the Freeze Frame American tour. During this time, Jon Butcher Axis signed a big record deal with PolyGram Records. This led to the release of their first two albums: The Jon Butcher Axis and Stare at the Sun. Both albums were produced by Pat Moran, who also worked with famous artists like Robert Plant.

Success in 1983 and 1984

In 1983, the band released their first album, which was self-titled, The Jon Butcher Axis. It featured popular songs like "Life Takes A Life," "Ocean in Motion," and "Walk Like This." This album reached No. 91 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart. The music video for "Life Takes a Life" was one of the few videos by a Black artist to be shown on MTV at that time. Only a few other Black artists, like Tina Turner and Michael Jackson, had videos on MTV then.

Their second album, Stare at the Sun, came out in 1984 and reached No. 160 on the Billboard album chart. Because these two albums were successful, the band became more popular. They got to tour with other big bands like Rush, Def Leppard, and Scorpions.

New Record Deals and Grammy Nomination

Signing with Capitol Records

In 1985, Jon Butcher Axis signed with Capitol Records. They released the album Along the Axis. A song from this album, "The Ritual," earned a Grammy Nomination for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. This was a big achievement for the band's songwriters.

The album also had singles and music videos for the songs "The Sounds of Your Voice" and "Stop." "The Sounds of Your Voice," written by band member Thom Gimbel, was the only single to reach the Billboard charts Hot 100, getting to No. 94. Jon Butcher said that working with Capitol Records was a good experience. During this time, Jon Butcher Axis often toured large venues across the U.S., opening for bands like INXS.

Later Albums as Jon Butcher

After 1986, the next albums, Wishes (1987) and Pictures from the Front (1989), were released simply under Jon Butcher's name. Wishes was Jon Butcher's most successful album. Music videos from these albums included "Holy War," "Goodbye Saving Grace," and "Wishes."

New Projects and Solo Work

Barefoot Servants

Barefoot Servants line-up

In 1991, Jon Butcher Axis stopped performing. Jon Butcher then spent most of the 1990s working on different multimedia projects. In 1994, he formed a new band called Barefoot Servants. They released their first album on Epic Records. The band included Leland Sklar on bass, Ben Schultz on guitar, and Ray Brinker on drums. Their second album, Barefoot Servants 2, was released in August 2005. For this album, Neal Wilkinson became the new drummer.

Jon Butcher's Solo Music

In the mid-1990s, Jon Butcher released two solo blues albums. These were called Positively the Blues and Electric Factory. The title Electric Factory was inspired by Jimi Hendrix's album Electric Ladyland. In 1998, a "best of" album called The Best of Jon Butcher – Dreamers Would Ride was released.

In November 2000, Jon released a CD called A Long Way Home only through his website. Another solo project, A Stiff Little Breeze, came out in 2001. This CD brought back the Jon Butcher Axis name, again referencing Hendrix. In 2002, another Jon Butcher Axis album, An Ocean in Motion – Live in Boston 1984, was released. Jon also joined the Chris Pierce band in 2008 as a guitarist. They released a live CD called Live at the Hotel Cafe.

Video and Multimedia Work

Live Performances on Video

Jon Butcher's first DVD video was released in 2004. It was called Live at the Casbah. This video was filmed in December 1984 at The Casbah concert venue in Manchester, New Hampshire. It includes some songs that had never been released before, along with music from his first three Jon Butcher Axis albums.

Music for TV, Film, and Games

Besides touring the United States and other countries with his bands, Jon Butcher also started his own production company and recording studio. It's called "Electric Factory" and is located in the San Fernando Hills of California. Through his company, "Electric Factory Music," Jon creates music for television shows, movies, and computer games.

Some of his recent projects include music for the HBO series Deadwood and A&E's The Life and Times of Wild Bill Cody. He has also created music for popular TV shows like The Hughleys (UPN), The Unit (CBS), Ugly Betty (ABC), Star Trek: The Next Generation (UPN), and My Name Is Earl (NBC). He also worked on the movie Hendrix: The Movie.

Jon Butcher's Music Albums

Jon Butcher's Singles