Win Butler
Encyclopedia
Win Butler is the lead vocalist and songwriter of the Montreal
-based indie rock
band Arcade Fire. His wife Régine Chassagne
and his brother William Butler
are both members of the band.
, California
and raised in The Woodlands
, Texas
with a Mormon upbringing, Butler is the maternal grandson of jazz
steel guitar
ist Alvino Rey
, a pioneer bandleader
whose career spanned eight decades. His maternal grandmother, Luise, was a member of The King Sisters
, who starred in a weekly variety program on ABC
called The King Family Show
. His mother, Janis, plays harp and sings.
At the age of 15, Butler started attending the Phillips Exeter Academy
preparatory school in New Hampshire
, where he lived in Abbot Hall
. There he played varsity basketball and club softball, and performed with several student bands, including Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. He also worked with the administration to establish "Winter Thaw," in which students got a long weekend's worth of rest in the middle of typically cold, grueling New England winters. After graduation he studied photography and creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College
, but left after a year.
Butler moved to Montreal in 2000 to attend McGill University
, where he met his future wife, Régine Chassagne
whom he married in 2003. Butler has a degree in religious studies.
Butler participated in the 2005 UNICEF benefit project, "Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?
", along with his wife Régine. He co-wrote the music for the Richard Kelly
film The Box along with Chassagne.
In September 2011, Butler played in a charity basketball tournament in Toronto known as, "Rock The Court." Several other celebrities and and athletes participated, such as Matt Bonner
of the San Antonio Spurs
, whom Butler defeated in a 3-point competition.
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
-based indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band Arcade Fire. His wife Régine Chassagne
Régine Chassagne
Régine Chassagne is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist musician and singer, and a founding member of the band Arcade Fire. She is married to co-founder Win Butler.-Life and career:...
and his brother William Butler
William Butler (musician)
William Pierce Butler is a multi-instrumentalist who is best known as a member of the indie rock band Arcade Fire. William plays synthesizer, bass, guitar and percussion. He is known for his spontaneity and antics during performances...
are both members of the band.
Life and career
Born Edwin Farnham Butler III in TruckeeTruckee, California
Truckee is an incorporated town in Nevada County, California, United States. The population was 16,180 at the 2010 census, up from 13,864 at the 2000 census.-Name:...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and raised in The Woodlands
The Woodlands, Texas
The Woodlands is a master-planned community and a Census-designated place in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area. The population of the CDP was 55,649 at the 2000 census—a 90 percent increase over its 1990 population. According to the 2010 census, The Woodlands' population rose...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
with a Mormon upbringing, Butler is the maternal grandson of jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
steel guitar
Steel guitar
Steel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. Developed in Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use...
ist Alvino Rey
Alvino Rey
Alvin McBurney , known by his stage name Alvino Rey, was an American swing era musician and pioneer, often credited as the father of the pedal steel guitar...
, a pioneer bandleader
Bandleader
A bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....
whose career spanned eight decades. His maternal grandmother, Luise, was a member of The King Sisters
The King Sisters
The King Sisters were an American big band-era vocal quartet.-History:Born and raised in Pleasant Grove, Utah, about 35 miles south of Salt Lake City, the King Sisters originally were part of the "Driggs Family of Entertainers"."In the early 1930s sisters Luise, Maxine and Alyce formed a vocal trio...
, who starred in a weekly variety program on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
called The King Family Show
The King Family Show
The King Family Show was an American musical variety series that featured The King Sisters and their extended musical family. The series first aired on ABC from January 1965 to January 1966...
. His mother, Janis, plays harp and sings.
At the age of 15, Butler started attending the Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy is a private secondary school located in Exeter, New Hampshire, in the United States.Exeter is noted for its application of Harkness education, a system based on a conference format of teacher and student interaction, similar to the Socratic method of learning through asking...
preparatory school in New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, where he lived in Abbot Hall
Abbot Hall (Phillips Exeter Academy)
Abbot Hall is the oldest dormitory at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire. While it was named after the school's second principal, Benjamin Abbot, dorm mythology contends the dorm was actually founded by John Abbot, the infamous 18th century skryer and half-brother to Benjamin...
. There he played varsity basketball and club softball, and performed with several student bands, including Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. He also worked with the administration to establish "Winter Thaw," in which students got a long weekend's worth of rest in the middle of typically cold, grueling New England winters. After graduation he studied photography and creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College is a private liberal arts college in the United States, and a leader in progressive education since its founding in 1926. Located just 30 minutes north of Midtown Manhattan in southern Westchester County, New York, in the city of Yonkers, this coeducational college offers...
, but left after a year.
Butler moved to Montreal in 2000 to attend McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
, where he met his future wife, Régine Chassagne
Régine Chassagne
Régine Chassagne is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist musician and singer, and a founding member of the band Arcade Fire. She is married to co-founder Win Butler.-Life and career:...
whom he married in 2003. Butler has a degree in religious studies.
Butler participated in the 2005 UNICEF benefit project, "Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?
Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?
"Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?" is a charity single inspired by "Do They Know It's Christmas?". It was released on October 11, 2005 in Canada on Vice Records by a cast of rock artists and other performers under the name "North American Hallowe'en Prevention Initiative"...
", along with his wife Régine. He co-wrote the music for the Richard Kelly
Richard Kelly (director)
James Richard Kelly is an American film director and writer, best known for writing and directing the cult classic Donnie Darko in 2001.-Early life:...
film The Box along with Chassagne.
In September 2011, Butler played in a charity basketball tournament in Toronto known as, "Rock The Court." Several other celebrities and and athletes participated, such as Matt Bonner
Matt Bonner
Matthew Robert "Matt" Bonner is an American professional basketball player who is currently a member of the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association . Bonner played college basketball for the University of Florida, and was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the second round of the...
of the San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
, whom Butler defeated in a 3-point competition.
External links
- NY Times article mentioning Win Butler's slam poetry at Sarah Lawrence College.