Edwin Farnham Butler III (born April 14, 1980) is an American-Canadian singer, songwriter, musician, and multi-instrumentalist. He co-founded the

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

-based

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

band

Arcade Fire Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec, consisting of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, alongside Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury, and Jeremy Gara. The band's touring line-up includes former core ...

with Josh Deu and his wife Régine Chassagne.

Early life

Butler was born in Truckee, California, and raised in The Woodlands, Texas, with a

Latter-Day Saint The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded b ...

upbringing. He lived in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

, Argentina, before his brother

Will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

was born. His father, Edwin Farnham Butler II, worked as a geologist for oil conglomerate

Halliburton Halliburton Company is an American multinational corporation and the world's second-largest oil service company which is responsible for most of the world's fracking operations. It employs approximately 55,000 people through its hundreds of su ...

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

. His mother, Liza Rey, who performed on the family TV show, '' The King Family Show'', plays jazz harp and sings. Butler's parents currently live on Mount Desert Island, Maine. Butler's maternal grandfather was

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

steel guitar A steel guitar () is any guitar played while moving a steel bar or similar hard object against plucked strings. The bar itself is called a "steel" and is the source of the name "steel guitar". The instrument differs from a conventional guitar i ...

ist

Alvino Rey Alvin McBurney (July 1, 1908 – February 24, 2004), known by his stage name Alvino Rey, was an American jazz guitarist and bandleader. Career Alvin McBurney was born in Oakland, California, United States, but grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. Early i ...

, a pioneer bandleader whose career spanned eight decades. His maternal grandmother, Luise, was a member of The King Sisters, who starred in a weekly variety program on ABC called ''The King Family Show''. At the age of 15, Butler started attending the

Phillips Exeter Academy Phillips Exeter Academy (often called Exeter or PEA) is an Independent school, independent, co-educational, college-preparatory school in Exeter, New Hampshire. Established in 1781, it is America's sixth-oldest boarding school and educates an es ...

preparatory school in

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

, where he lived in Abbot Hall. After graduation, he studied photography and creative writing at

Sarah Lawrence College Sarah Lawrence College (SLC) is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Yonkers, New York, United States. Founded as a Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in 1926, Sarah Lawrence College has been coeducational ...

, but left after a year.

Career

Butler moved to

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, Canada in 2000 to attend

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

, where he met his future wife, Régine Chassagne, whom he married in 2003. Butler graduated from McGill in 2004 with a bachelor's degree in religious studies. Butler participated in the 2005

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

benefit project, " Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?," along with Chassagne. The two also collaborated on the music for the Richard Kelly film '' The Box''. On April 2, 2011,

LCD Soundsystem LCD Soundsystem is an American Dance-punk#Contemporary dance-punk, dance-punk revival band from Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2002 by James Murphy (electronic musician), James Murphy, of DFA Records. The band comprises Murphy (vocals ...

played its last concert before its disbandment. Arcade Fire performed with them during the song "North American Scum". During James Murphy's stumbling introduction to the song, Butler shouted out "shut up and play the hits!" Murphy immediately responded, "ladies and gentlemen, for our live record entitled 'Shut Up and Play the Hits'" and Butler's cry later became the title of the documentary of the concert. In September 2011, Butler played in a charity basketball tournament in Toronto, Ontario, known as "Rock The Court." Several other celebrities and athletes participated, such as Matt Bonner of the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

. Butler also works as a DJ using the stage name Windows 98. Sometimes he works under this moniker as the opening act for Arcade Fire itself. In March 2015, Butler and Chassagne attended the launch of music streaming service Tidal, and revealed themselves, along with other notable artists, as

shareholder A shareholder (in the United States often referred to as stockholder) of corporate stock refers to an individual or legal entity (such as another corporation, a body politic, a trust or partnership) that is registered by the corporation as the ...

s in the company.

Personal life

Butler is married to fellow Arcade Fire member Régine Chassagne, who gave birth to the couple's child, a son, in 2013. Butler was naturalized as a Canadian citizen on July 9, 2019, in a ceremony held in Montreal and hosted by

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC; )Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program since 2015; the legal title is Department of Citizenship and Immigration (). is the Ministry ...

minister Ahmed Hussen. Butler is a frequent participant in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, and won the game's

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

award in

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

Sexual misconduct allegations

According to ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' articles published in 2022, five individuals have accused Butler of sexual misconduct including multiple instances of sexual assault, with some saying he initially contacted them on social media. Butler said all contact with the accusers was consensual, and he denies all allegations of misconduct. In a statement to ''Pitchfork'', a representative for Butler acknowledged he had sexual interactions with each of them, but said they were not initiated by him and were consensual. Chassagne supported his statements. Butler also claimed that during that period he was struggling with mental health, substance abuse, and depression. He said "None of this is intended to excuse my behaviour, but I do want to give some context and share what was happening in my life around this time."

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Win 1980 births Living people 21st-century American bass guitarists 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American keyboardists 21st-century American pianists 21st-century American singer-songwriters 21st-century Canadian bass guitarists 21st-century Canadian guitarists 21st-century Canadian keyboardists 21st-century Canadian male singers 21st-century Canadian pianists 21st-century Canadian singer-songwriters Alternative rock guitarists American banjoists American indie rock musicians American male bass guitarists American male pianists American male singer-songwriters American mandolinists American rock singers Arcade Fire members Canadian banjoists Canadian indie rock musicians Canadian male singer-songwriters Canadian mandolinists Canadian rock singers Former Latter Day Saints Grammy Award winners Guitarists from Texas McGill University alumni Musicians from Houston Phillips Exeter Academy alumni Sarah Lawrence College alumni People from Truckee, California People from The Woodlands, Texas Singer-songwriters from California Singer-songwriters from Texas