Hillous Butrum
Encyclopedia
Hillous Buel "Bew" Butrum (April 21, 1928 – April 27, 2002) was an American
country music
guitar
player and a record and video producer best known as a member of Hank Williams Drifting Cowboys
.
Hillous was born in rural Lafayette, Tennessee
and began his musical career at the age of 16. Butrum found his way to Nashville
and landed a job at WSM
Radio and eventually wound up a staff musician on the Grand Ole Opry
. From there, he played bass for Hank Williams' legendary band "The Drifting Cowboys." After the passing of Williams, Butrum joined Hank Snow's
band and later played on many Marty Robbins
recording sessions.
He established "Butrum Enterprises Publishing Company" and owned Look Records. He produced many early country music documentaries
including "Music City USA". He was a pioneer of the music video
long before its birth in the 1980s.
Hillous Butrum died in his Nashville home about two weeks after the death of his wife. His funeral was held in Goodlettsville, Tennessee
and was attended by notable music industry figures including Hal Bynum
, Merle Kilgore
, Bobby Tomberlin, Robbie Wittkowski, Tim Jones
, and Don Helms
. He was interred in the Underwood Cemetery in his hometown of Lafayette.
The day before Butrum's death, he agreed to an exclusive interview with Country Music Source magazine detailing his long and inspiring music career. The interview was scheduled for April 29, 2002. In lieu of the interview, Country Music Source printed a memoriam for Butrum.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
player and a record and video producer best known as a member of Hank Williams Drifting Cowboys
Drifting Cowboys
The Drifting Cowboys were the backing group for American music legend Hank Williams. The band went through several lineups during Williams's career, and surviving members of the group continue to tour and make public appearances to this day....
.
Hillous was born in rural Lafayette, Tennessee
Lafayette, Tennessee
Lafayette is a city in Macon County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 3,885 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Macon County....
and began his musical career at the age of 16. Butrum found his way to Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
and landed a job at WSM
WSM (AM)
WSM is the callsign of a 50,000 watt AM radio station located in Nashville, Tennessee. Operating at 650 kHz, its clear channel signal can reach much of North America and various countries, especially late at night...
Radio and eventually wound up a staff musician on the Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
. From there, he played bass for Hank Williams' legendary band "The Drifting Cowboys." After the passing of Williams, Butrum joined Hank Snow's
Hank Snow
Clarence Eugene "Hank" Snow was a Canadian-American country music artist. He charted more than 70 singles on the Billboard country charts from 1950 until 1980...
band and later played on many Marty Robbins
Marty Robbins
Martin David Robinson , known professionally as Marty Robbins, was an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist...
recording sessions.
He established "Butrum Enterprises Publishing Company" and owned Look Records. He produced many early country music documentaries
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
including "Music City USA". He was a pioneer of the music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
long before its birth in the 1980s.
Hillous Butrum died in his Nashville home about two weeks after the death of his wife. His funeral was held in Goodlettsville, Tennessee
Goodlettsville, Tennessee
Goodlettsville is a city in Davidson and Sumner counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Goodlettsville was incorporated as a city in 1958 with a population of just over 3,000 residents; at the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 13,780. Goodlettsville chose to remain autonomous in 1963...
and was attended by notable music industry figures including Hal Bynum
Hal Bynum
Hal Bynum is an American songwriter most notably associated with the Outlaw country movement in the 1970s. Bynum has written more than 200 songs for popular country artists, including Kenny Rogers Patty Loveless , Johnny Cash , Cash and Waylon Jennings , and Jim Reeves...
, Merle Kilgore
Merle Kilgore
Wyatt Merle Kilgore was an American singer, songwriter, and manager.-Early life:Although born in Chickasha, Oklahoma, Merle Kilgore was raised in Shreveport, Louisiana. He was the son of Wyatt and Gladys B. Kilgore...
, Bobby Tomberlin, Robbie Wittkowski, Tim Jones
Tim Jones
William Timothy Jones was a Major League Baseball infielder. He is an alumnus of The Citadel....
, and Don Helms
Don Helms
Don Helms was a steel guitarist best known as the steel guitar player of Hank Williams' Drifting Cowboys group....
. He was interred in the Underwood Cemetery in his hometown of Lafayette.
The day before Butrum's death, he agreed to an exclusive interview with Country Music Source magazine detailing his long and inspiring music career. The interview was scheduled for April 29, 2002. In lieu of the interview, Country Music Source printed a memoriam for Butrum.