Though not nearly so well known as Jerry Butler, Billy Butler was also a professional musician who was mainly active in the 1960’s and 1970’s.  Curtis Mayfield supervised his first session at Okeh Records, and that label released his first album, Right Track (1966).  He later formed a vocal group called Infinity, which released a 1973 album called Hung up on You.  

In 2007, Kent Records put together a CD called The Right Tracks, covering 29 of the recordings that Billy Butler made at Okeh Records.  Writing for Allmusic, Richie Unterberger gives the CD 4½ stars and says:  “First and foremost, [Billy] Butler, though far less celebrated than his older brother Jerry Butler, was a fine singer and songwriter in his own right, producing consistently good pop-soul discs that were rather reminiscent of the Impressions (and, at times, Major Lance, another Chicago soul artist with strong connections to Curtis Mayfield).  In addition, if you are a fan of Mayfield’s mid-’60s work with the Impressions and as a songwriter/producer, this has some of his best overlooked work in the latter capacity.”  

(July 2014)