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Alabama Music Hall of Fame Achiever
THE BUTLER TWINS
Members:
Clarence Butler
Instruments: Harmonica, Vocals
January 21, 1942 - December 22, 2003
Place of Birth: Florence, Alabama
Curtis Butler
Instruments: Guitar
January 21, 1942 - April 9, 2004
Place of Birth: Florence, Alabama
Clarence and Curtis Butler, sons of an Alabama sharecropper, were born seconds apart on January 21, 1942 (in the middle of a family of 16), in Florence, Alabama. Their father, Willie "Butch" Butler, sang and played guitar while partner Raymond Edwards played harp. The boys would grow to idolize their father and try and imitate the blues he and Edwards played. They were both were taught how to tune and play guitar and by age 7 the twins won a talent contest at the W.C. Handy Elementary School and played in the abandoned house where Handy once lived.
By the early 1950's, they were forming bands, and by age 16, touring the mid-South.
They moved to Detroit years later, straying from their music in search of steadier work and regular pay checks. The music finally came back together in the early 1970s. With Clarence on harmonica and vocals and Curtis on guitar the Butler Twins have played several thousand performances in the Detroit clubs and earned a reputation for playing some powerful blues.