Aaron Kenneth Buttrey (April 1, 1945 – September 12, 2004) was an American

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western bands that play rock, pop, jazz, or R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeeping and embellishing the musical timbre. The drummer's ...

and arranger. According to CMT, he was "one of the most influential session musicians in Nashville history". Buttrey was born in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

, became a professional musician at age 11 and went on his first world tour at the age of 14 with Chet Atkins. He first worked with Charlie McCoy and went on to play with two of his own groups,

Barefoot Jerry Barefoot Jerry is an American country rock band from Nashville, Tennessee. Fusing country music and progressive rock, they have been described as a seminal southern rock band. The band was most active from 1971 to 1977. It was composed of are ...

and

Area Code 615 Area codes 615 and 629 are area codes in Tennessee serving Nashville ( Davidson County) and the 12 surrounding counties. 615 is the main area code, while 629 is an overlay covering the same area that began service in 2014. Murfreesboro, Frankli ...

. Area Code 615 was best known for its song " Stone Fox Chase," which was the theme song for the BBC music programme '' The Old Grey Whistle Test'' in the 1970s. Buttrey also played in the group Rig. However, he was best known as a session player and worked with a number of well-known musicians including

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

, and

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fu ...

. He appears on Presley's '' He Touched Me''; Dylan's albums ''

Blonde on Blonde ''Blonde on Blonde'' is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released as a double album on June 20, 1966, by Columbia Records. Recording sessions began in New York in October 1965 with numerous backing musicians, in ...

'', '' John Wesley Harding'', '' Nashville Skyline'', and ''

Self Portrait A self-portrait is a representation of an artist that is drawn, painted, photographed, or sculpted by that artist. Although self-portraits have been made since the earliest times, it is not until the Early Renaissance in the mid-15th century tha ...

''; and Young's albums '' Harvest'', '' Tonight's the Night'', '' Harvest Moon,'' '' Unplugged,'' '' Silver & Gold,'' and ''Tuscaloosa''. Other work included sessions for

Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...

, Jimmy Buffett, J. J. Cale, Donovan, Dan Fogelberg, Al Kooper, Leo Kottke, Kris Kristofferson,

Gordon Lightfoot Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. (born November 17, 1938) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music. He is credited with helping to define the folk-pop sound of the 1 ...

, Mickey Newbury, Peggy Scott and Jo Jo Benson, Bob Seger, and Joe Simon. Buttrey was a member of Neil Young's touring band, the Stray Gators. In 1973, he left the Stray Gators during their tour, saying all the fan attention was too much; Johnny Barbata replaced Buttrey in mid-tour. In 1979, Buttrey provided the drumming for Chuck Berry's studio album '' Rockit''. Also in 1979, he played drums on contemporary Christian singer Don Francisco's album ''Got to Tell Somebody''. Hit singles featuring Buttrey's playing include " Rainy Day Women #12 & 35," " Heart of Gold," " The Chokin' Kind," and " Margaritaville," but he was quoted as saying he was most proud of his drumming on Bob Dylan's " Lay Lady Lay." Buttrey died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

in Nashville on September 12, 2004, at the age of 59.

References

1945 births 2004 deaths American country singer-songwriters American country drummers American Southern Rock musicians Musicians from Nashville, Tennessee American session musicians Deaths from cancer in Tennessee 20th-century American drummers American male drummers Singer-songwriters from Tennessee 20th-century American singers Country musicians from Tennessee 20th-century American male musicians American male singer-songwriters The Stray Gators members {{US-drummer-stub