Butts Band
| Butts Band | |
|---|---|
| Origin | London, England, United Kingdom |
| Genres | Rock |
| Years active | 1973–1975 |
| Associated acts | The Doors |
| Past members |
John Densmore Robby Krieger Phil Chen Roy Davies Jess Roden Mick Weaver Mike Berkowitz Alex Richman Karl Ruckner Michael Stull David Paul Campbell |
Butts Band was a British and American group formed by ex-Doors members John Densmore and Robby Krieger that was active from 1973-1975. The band released two albums. With the exception of Krieger and Densmore, both albums consisted of different band personnel.
History
Butts Band came about as a consequence of The Doors trying to find a replacement for Jim Morrison. The remaining Doors were in London in 1973 had auditioned several British singers including Howard Werth (the singer with Audience), Kevin Coyne (from Siren) and Jess Roden (who was the leader of Bronco UK).
Howard Werth rehearsed with the band for a week with a view to stepping into Morrison's shoes. Elektra records founder Jac Holzman favoured Werth as he had at one stage foreseen Audience taking over The Doors' spot on Elektra - but Audience had fallen apart and he now saw Howard and The Doors merging as the new Doors. However, Ray Manzarek and his wife Dorothy were expecting a child, and Manzarek eventually called it off and went back to Los Angeles, leaving Densmore and Krieger in London. They began looking for a new project, linking up with Roden, Phil Chen and Roy Davies to form the Butts Band.
In an early interview in Melody Maker or NME Krieger explained the origin of the name: "'Butts Band' equalled a bunch of losers desperate for a gig, hence the tattered speaker on the front cover."
Their debut, the self-titled album Butts Band was released in 1974. After the pressure of two members living in California and three in London led the band to split (following a low key tour and the odd TV appearance), Krieger and Densmore released all the band members and recruited an all American band to produce a second album, titled Hear and Now, in 1975.
Former members
- John Densmore – drums (1973-1975)
- Robby Krieger – guitar (1973-1975)
- Phil Chen – bass (1973-1974)
- Roy Davies – keyboards, synthesisers (1973-1974)
- Jess Roden – vocals (1973-1974)
- Mick Weaver – organ (1973-1974)
- Mike Berkowitz – drums (1974-1975)
- Alex Richman – keyboards, vocals (1974-1975)
- Karl Ruckner – bass (1974-1975)
- Michael Stull – guitar, vocals (1974-1975)
- David Paul Campbell – keyboards, vocals (1975)
Discography
- Butts Band (1974)
- Hear and Now (1975)