Sam Butera

[Kingsleyhk]

Just downloaded a whole slew of his stuff without Louis Prima - what a great player. Great attack and tone.

 

[dexdex]

Agreed.

 

[compound]

And he played a Berg.

 

[Jules]

My main man for many years... not only a great attack and tone but a very lyrical player... Its almost impossible to play on a Louis Prima song without playing the solo the way Sam did..... they're so memorable....

 

[spike]

Just downloaded a whole slew of his stuff without Louis Prima - what a great player. Great attack and tone.

"Wild, Cool & Swinging - The Artist Collection - Sam Butera and the Witnesses" is a good one.

gruss - spike

 

[Kingsleyhk]

The album I have is "Hot New Orleans Nights" - great stuff.

 

[John Laughter]

I remember when I started playing sax in 56 there were a lot of movies about the rock & roll groups that featured the Top 40 bands and singers. I went to a double feature and saw Sam Butera and Prima in the second movie. I had never seen or heard of the Prima's band or Sam Butera. I was very familiar with Lee Allen, Herb Hardesty and Grady Gaines although I did not know the names at that time.

When Butera started playing his solos along with his stage action I was caught up in the energy! I had never seen anything like it. Still listen to his music to this day.

 

[Kingsleyhk]

You were about ten years ahead of me in starting to listen to sax players - I was about 55 years behind you in finding Sam Butera!

Funny how these things go in cycles - my youngest son (now 23) has been a Tom Lehrer fan since he was about 12 - something like the same age I got into him - and he saw Bo Diddley a couple of years ago in Australia (Byron Bay Blues Festival) and I saw Bo when I was about 14 in Cheltenham, Glos. in a package show with the Everley Brothers and Duane Eddy - which is what turned me on to Jim Horn.

 

[trimmy]

Shame on me but i'd never heard of Sam Butera until this thread so iv'e been listening to some of his music all morning/noon and i'm hooked
Youtube is a great source and found this fan of Butera you have probably seen it but for those that haven't (like me) check it out
http://www.youtube.com/user/sambuterafan?feature=results_main

ps. Isn't it great to hear the little crackles on the deck

 

[Kingsleyhk]

Don't beat yourself up Trimmy - I had only came across him a few weeks ago on YouTube with Louis Prima because I was trying to track down all the versions I could find of Night Train. Now, like you, I'm hooked!

 

[John Laughter]

"Bo Diddley, Everley Brothers and Duane Eddy - which is what turned me on to Jim Horn"

We had a lot of fun in those days! Garage bands, pizza parties, proms and drive-ins.

 

[Kingsleyhk]

"

Garage bands, pizza parties, proms and drive-ins" - not in the Forest of Dean in the early 60s! I don't think I saw​

a pizza until I was in my twenties!
But - the Law of Unintended Consequences - local authorities wouldn't allow cinemas to show movies on a Sunday, so we got the package shows. So, apart from the acts mentioned, I saw the Stones, Little Richard and few others I don't recall now. The downside of course was that they could only do three or so songs each.​