Lester Butler (November 12, 1959May 9, 1998) was an American

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

harmonica player and singer. He achieved fame as the singer and harmonica player for the Los Angeles, California,

blues rock Blues rock is a fusion music genre, genre and form of rock music, rock and blues music that relies on the chords/scales and instrumental improvisation of blues. It is mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electri ...

band, the Red Devils

Biography

Butler was born in the U.S. state of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. The Red Devils released one album, 1992's ''King King'', which producer

Rick Rubin Frederick Jay Rubin (, ; born March 10, 1963) is an American record producer. He is a co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former co-president of Columbia Records. Rubin helped popularize hip hop by produci ...

released on his

Def American American Recordings (formerly Def American Recordings, Inc.) is an American record label headed by producer Rick Rubin. The label has featured artists such as Slayer, the Black Crowes, ZZ Top, Danzig (band), Danzig, Trouble (band), Trouble, T ...

record label. In June 1992, the Red Devils recorded 13 tracks (and numerous alternate takes) with

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English musician. He is known as the lead singer and one of the founder members of The Rolling Stones. Jagger has co-written most of the band's songs with lead guitarist Keith Richards; Jagge ...

, again produced by Rubin. Though not issued at the time, one song, " Checkin' Up on My Baby", was officially released in 2007 on '' The Very Best of Mick Jagger''. The Devils also recorded songs with

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...

, which were released in 2003 on the posthumous Cash

boxed set A boxed set or (its US name) box set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box, hence 'boxed', and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists ...

'' Unearthed''. After the breakup of the Red Devils, Butler fronted the band, 13, releasing one self-titled album on Hightone Records in 1997. Butler achieved his greatest fame in Europe, especially the Netherlands. He died of an

overdose A drug overdose (overdose or OD) is the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities much greater than are recommended. Retrieved on September 20, 2014.

of heroin and

cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...

on May 9, 1998, in Los Angeles at the age of 38. Two friends, who were involved in his overdose, were convicted of manslaughter.

Discography

* '' King King'' – The Red Devils (Def American, 1992) * ''Blackwater Roll'' (4-song EP) – The Red Devils (This Way Up/Def American, 1993) * ''13 Featuring Lester Butler'' – 13 featuring Lester Butler (Hightone, 1997) * ''Live @ Tamines 1997'' – Lester Butler featuring 13 (Rockbeat, 2015) Butler also recorded harmonica with several other musicians: *

Billy Boy Arnold William "Billy Boy" Arnold (born September 16, 1935) is an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter. Arnold is a self-taught harmonica player and has worked with blues legends such as Bo Diddley, Johnny Shines, Otis Rush, Earl H ...

"Shake Your Hips", which appears on the album, ''Back Where I Belong'' (

Alligator An alligator, or colloquially gator, is a large reptile in the genus ''Alligator'' of the Family (biology), family Alligatoridae in the Order (biology), order Crocodilia. The two Extant taxon, extant species are the American alligator (''A. mis ...

, 1993) * King Ernest"Black Bag Blues", on ''

King of Hearts The king of hearts is a playing card in the standard 52-card deck. King of Hearts may also refer to: Games * The king of hearts has five sons, card game that may have been a precursor to Cluedo Books * King of Hearts (Alice's Adventures in ...

'' (

Evidence Music Evidence Music is an American jazz and blues record label founded in 1992 by Howard Rosen and Jerry Gordon. The label's name comes from the song "Evidence" by Thelonious Monk. The label's first releases were reissues of Sun Ra albums from the ca ...

, 1997) *

R. L. Burnside R. L. Burnside (November 23, 1926 – September 1, 2005) was an American Hill country blues singer, songwriter and guitarist. He played music for most of his life but received little recognition until 1995 when Burnside recorded and toured with ...

"It's Bad You Know", on ''Come On In'' (

Fat Possum In nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food. The term often refers specifically to triglycerides (triple ester ...

, 1998) * Rancid"Intro", on '' Life Won't Wait'' (

Epitaph An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...

, 1998)

References

External links

No Fightin': The Red Devils, Lester Butler and California blues, rock and roots music
{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Lester 1959 births 1998 deaths American blues singers American blues harmonica players Harmonica blues musicians 20th-century American singers