Born in Missouri in 1926, Champ Butler (his real name) was brought up in Los Angeles, and after service in WWII worked in the parking lot of Hollywood’s Mocambo nightclub, where he met many stars, and did the rounds of radio stations to find singing work. He was introduced to an agent, and secured an audition with Columbia Records, who gave him a contract, with A&R Director Mitch Miller calling him “one of the most versatile lads in the business”. That quality certainly comes across in this great-value 59-track 2-CD collection, which comprises a substantial proportion of his A and B sides on the Columbia, Coral, Dot, Zephyr, Keen, Viscount, Riviera, Five-Ten and CII labels from these years, including his duets with Toni Arden. It features his Top 30 hits “I Apologise”, “Them There Eyes”, “Down Yonder” and “Be Anything (But Be Mine)”, all achieved in the early ‘50s before the advent of rock ‘n’ roll. Butler was a classic example of an archetypal old-school vocalist whose career was overtaken by the changes in the pop market, but who made a good fist of adapting to the new idioms to keep his career going into the ‘60s. This collection provides a substantial showcase for that versatility as he tackles middle-of-the-road pop, big-voiced ballads, novelty material and straight rock ‘n’ roll with equal aplomb.
