For Immediate Release ? On Tuesday, January 29, 2002 Basin Street Records announced the signing of their newest exclusive artist, the legendary New Orleans pianist and vocalist Henry Butler. Owner and operator of Basin Street Records, Mark Samuels, said of the signing, ?I?m excited to have one of the world?s greatest piano players and great rich voices on our label.? Basin Street Records has signed Butler to a multi-record deal, and will be supporting his releases with national advertising, publicity and radio campaigns and pricing/positioning programs in national retail chains. Look for his new CD to be in-stores in April 2002! On signing with Basin Street Records Henry Butler has said, ?I am happy about bringing my musical roots home to New Orleans by becoming a Basin Street Artist. I admire the work of Mark Samuels as he is an advocate for his artists and their musical art."
Henry Butler possesses a virtuosic jazz and R & B piano technique that effortlessly showcases the entire history of New Orleans piano, bridging stride, swing, bop, trad jazz, gospel, soul, blues, funk and second-line. This combined with his classically trained voice makes for one of the greatest performers and composers to ever come out of the rich musical heritage of the Crescent City. On top of his stunning musicianship, Butler is also an accomplished photographer.
Henry Butler was born in New Orleans and started singing at age seven at The Louisiana School for the Blind. Butler went on to study classical piano and voice at Southern University in Baton Rouge, completing his masters degree at Michigan State. For most of the 1980s the pianist/vocalist worked in Los Angeles where he recorded two albums for the MCA/Impulse! Label. Always striving to evolve artistically, Butler studied with the likes of Roland Hanna, George Duke, Cannonball Adderly and Harold Mabern. After living in New York City for three years he accepted a position as Associate Professor of Music at Eastern Illinois University. However 1996 found Butler returning to his hometown of New Orleans, where for the last several years he has become recognized as the city?s greatest pianist and one of its most revered performers. His first recording for Basin Street Records will be his seventh as a leader. His debut recording ?Fivin Around? was released in 1986, and Butler?s latest recording is ?Blues After Sunset,? released in 1998.
Basin Street Records owner/operator Mark Samuels is an old-fashioned independent record label owner who works around the clock formulating guerilla marketing plans to promote his artists. He has turned a start-up label into a success story within three short years of releasing its first record in February of 1998, Kermit Ruffins & The Barbecue Swingers Live (The CD release party for this record drew over 900 people into Tipitina?s, quite an impressive crowd for straight-ahead jazz). In April of 1998, just in time for annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Samuels released the first record from months old Los Hombres Calientes: Bill Summers, Irvin Mayfield (Basin Street?s biggest act). The band?s first two releases have been the best selling CDs at the festival in 1998, 1999 and 2000, and Vol. 2 has won a Billboard Latin Music Award. Los Hombres? latest recording Vol. 3: New Congo Square has garnered rave reviews and has recently been nominated for a 2002 Grammy
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