Richard Butler (singer)
| Richard Butler | |
|---|---|
Butler performing live in 2006
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Richard Lofthouse Butler |
| Born |
5 June 1956 Kingston upon Thames, London, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Labels | Koch |
| Associated acts | |
Richard Lofthouse Butler (born 5 June 1956) is an English singer, songwriter and painter.
Butler's music career spans more than 30 years. He came to prominence in the early 1980s as lead singer of the rock band the Psychedelic Furs and went on to found the alternative rock band Love Spit Love in the early 1990s, during a hiatus of the Psychedelic Furs. Butler began his solo career in 2006, while still a member of the Psychedelic Furs, releasing the eponymous album Richard Butler.
Richard Lofthouse Butler was born on 5 June 1956, in Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, England. His father George Butler was research chemist, a Communist and an atheist. In the 1970s the elder Butler was slated to become a scientific ambassador for the Soviet Union, but a friend convinced him this would not be a good place for his family. Butler's mother was an artist, and he started art school in London with the idea of becoming a painter. After graduation, he worked in a silk-screen print shop, but got the idea to form a band.
Butler formed the Psychedelic Furs in 1977 with his bassist brother Tim Butler. According to Butler, the Psychedelic Furs began rehearsing in the Butlers' front room, but were soon banished because of the noise. Joined by guitarist John Ashton, guitarist Roger Morris, drummer Vince Ely and saxophonist Duncan Kilburn, the band quickly gained commercial success. The band's self-titled 1980 debut on Columbia Records and the 1981 Talk Talk Talk included 20 songs.
The Psychedelic Furs went on hiatus in the early 1990s and Butler became the founder and lead singer of Love Spit Love. By 2000 he stated that Love Spit Love had "gone into remission." His work with Love Spit Love can be heard on the hit syndicated television show Charmed. A truncated version of LSL's cover version of the Smiths' hit song "How Soon Is Now?" – recorded for The Craft soundtrack – plays during the Charmed opening credits. He also sang backing vocals, on "I Am Anastasia" by the American band, Sponge. Love Spit Love's "Am I Wrong" was the theme over the opening credits of the 1995 film Angus.
...
Wikipedia