Billy Butler (born William E. Butler; June 7, 1945 – March 31, 2015) was an American soul singer and songwriter active in the 1960s and 1970s. He was born in Chicago, Illinois. His elder brother,

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, was also a singer and songwriter for whose band Billy played the guitar.

Career

Billy Butler formed the vocal group the Enchanters while at high school. He first recorded for

Okeh Records Okeh Records () is an American record label founded by the Otto Heinemann Phonograph Corporation, a phonograph supplier established in 1916, which branched out into phonograph records in 1918. The name was spelled "OkeH" from the initials of Ott ...

in 1963, and was produced initially by Curtis Mayfield and later by Carl Davis. On early recordings he was backed by the Chanters, a renamed version of the Enchanters; other members were Errol Batts and Jesse Tillman. His first and biggest hit was 1965's "I Can't Work No Longer", which reached #6 on the U.S. ''

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R&B Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

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and #60 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The group disbanded in 1966, and after a minor solo hit with "The Right Track" he left Okeh. "The Right Track" is placed at number 11 in the Northern Soul Top 500 He later formed a new group, Infinity, with Batts, Larry Wade and Phyllis Knox. They had three minor R&B hits: "Get on the Case" (#41 R&B, Fountain Records, 1969), "I Don't Want to Lose You" (Memphis Records, #37 R&B, 1971), and "Hung Up on You" (Pride Records, #48 R&B, 1973). He also wrote songs for his brother, as well as for such musicians as Major Lance and Gene Chandler. Billy Butler died in 2015, aged 69, in his native Chicago.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Right Track'' (1966) * ''Hung Up on You'' (1973, with Infinity) * ''Sugar Candy Lady'' (1977)

Singles

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Billy 1945 births 2015 deaths American soul singers American male singers Okeh Records artists Singers from Chicago Northern soul musicians Black & Blue Records artists