Jon Butcher facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jon Butcher
Background information
Birth name	Jon A. Toombs
Born	(1955-05-05) May 5, 1955 (age 70)
Origin	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres	Rock, blues
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter, record producer
Years active	1970s–present

Jon Butcher (born May 5, 1955) is an American rock and blues musician. He is known for his skills as a songwriter, guitarist, and producer of many different types of media.

Early Life and Education

Jon A. Toombs was born on May 5, 1955. His parents were Joan Butts and John A. Toombs Sr. In 1967, his family moved from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Clear Air Force Base in Clear, Alaska. Two years later, in 1969, they moved back to Pennsylvania.

Jon and his younger brother, Brian, both finished high school at Conestoga High School. After that, Jon went to Grahm Junior College in Boston, Massachusetts. There, he studied Broadcast Journalism, which is about how news is shared through TV and radio.

Musical Influences and Style

Many people have compared Jon Butcher to the famous guitarist Jimi Hendrix, especially when Jon first started his music career. These comparisons came from how Jon looked and acted on stage, which was similar to Hendrix. Also, Jon named his band "Axis," which was a nod to Hendrix's album Axis: Bold as Love.

However, Jon Butcher says that these comparisons are mostly on the surface. He explains that his main musical inspirations are artists like Richie Havens, John Lennon, Phil Lynott, Bob Dylan, and Taj Mahal. He has said, "... outside of the surface aspect, I don’t think there was much about me that was Jimi Hendrix-like, if you disregard the fact that I’m black and play a Stratocaster."

Early Bands and Success

Johanna Wild: Touring the Northeast

In the mid-to-late 1970s, Jon Butcher played with a band called Johanna Wild. This band was based in Boston and toured around the Northeast U.S. 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, in 1977.

Forming Jon Butcher Axis

Jon Butcher became well-known on MTV and Boston's WBCN radio station. He then started a new band called Jon Butcher Axis. The first members were Sandy Higgins (guitar), Chris Martin (bass), and Derek Blevins (drums), who had also played in Johanna Wild. This new band opened for the famous band Kiss in Texas in 1979.

Soon after, Sandy Higgins left the band. Jon Butcher Axis then became a "power trio," which means a band with only three members. They played many shows across New England.

Touring with The J. Geils Band

In 1982, Jon Butcher Axis went on a big tour with J. Geils Band. This was part of the J. Geils Band's Freeze Frame American tour. This helped Jon Butcher Axis get a record deal with PolyGram Records. This led to 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.

Albums and MTV Recognition

First Albums and Chart Success

In 1983, Jon Butcher Axis released their first album, which was self-titled, The Jon Butcher Axis. It included popular songs like "Life Takes A Life," "Ocean in Motion," and "Walk Like This." This album did very well, reaching No. 91 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart.

The music video for "Life Takes a Life" was important because it was one of the few videos by a Black artist to be played on MTV at that time. Only a few other Black artists, like Tina Turner, Prince, and Michael Jackson, had their videos shown on MTV before then.

The band's second album, Stare at the Sun, came out in 1984 and reached No. 160 on the Billboard album chart. The success of these albums helped the band become more popular. They got to tour with other big rock bands, including Rush, Def Leppard, and Scorpions.

Signing with Capitol Records

In 1985, Jon Butcher Axis signed a new record deal with Capitol Records. They released the album Along the Axis. A song from this album, "The Ritual," was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. Two other songs, "The Sounds of Your Voice" and "Stop," were released as singles with music videos. "The Sounds of Your Voice," written by band member Thom Gimbel, was the only single to reach No. 94 on the Billboard charts Hot 100. Jon Butcher said that working with Capitol Records was a good experience. During this time, Jon Butcher Axis often toured big venues across the U.S., opening for bands like INXS.

Later Albums and Videos

After Along the Axis, Jon Butcher released two more albums under just his own name: Wishes (1987) and Pictures from the Front (1989). Wishes was his most successful album. Music videos for songs like "Holy War," "Goodbye Saving Grace," and "Wishes" were shown on MTV.

New Projects and Solo Work

Barefoot Servants: A New Band

In 1991, Jon Butcher Axis stopped performing. Jon Butcher then spent much 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 (bass), Ben Schultz (guitar), and Ray Brinker (drums). Their second album, Barefoot Servants 2, was released in 2005, with Neal Wilkinson as the new drummer.

Solo Music and Multimedia

In the mid-1990s, Jon Butcher released two solo blues albums: 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.

Jon continued to release new music. In 2000, he released A Long Way Home through his website. In 2001, A Stiff Little Breeze came out, bringing back the Jon Butcher Axis name. In 2002, a live album called An Ocean in Motion – Live in Boston 1984 was released. Jon also joined the Chris Pierce band in 2008 as a guitarist and worked on Chris's studio albums.

Video and Production Work

Live Concert Video

Jon Butcher's first DVD video, Live at the Casbah, was released in 2004. It was filmed in December 1984 at a concert venue in Manchester, New Hampshire. The DVD features songs that had never been released before, as well as music from his first three Jon Butcher Axis albums.

Creating Music for TV and Games

Besides touring with his bands, Jon Butcher also started his own production company and recording studio called "Electric Factory." This studio 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 also composed 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.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Images for kids

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  Barefoot Servants line-up