Tony Butler (Big Country, The Pretenders, Pete Townshend)

Courtesy of Vintage Guitars

In a Big Country…Let My Love Open the Door…Back on the Chain Gang….My City was Gone…

He anchored some of the most enduring British pop hits of the 1980s with bass passages that were instantly recognizable and as memorable as the melodies and lyrics!

A bassist, vocalist, writer, solo recording artist, and educator (Livewire Youth Music Project), touted for his tenure in Big Country, Tony Butler was also an in-demand session player and sideman, rendering his dual melodic / in-the-pocket artistry in the service of Pete Townshend, The Pretenders, and Roger Daltrey among others.

Tony cites prog-rock icons Chris Squire and Mike Rutherford as his primary bass influences

Vintage Guitars issued a Tony Butler Signature Bass in 2011. Among Tony’s weapons of choice also include Fender Precision, Rickenbacker, Aria Pro (a former endorsee), and Washburn.

In 2017 Tony waxed his debut solo slab entitled My Time which features his Big Country bandmate Mark Brzecki on drums.

Tony Butler Sound & Vision:

Big Country:

“In A Big Country” https://youtu.be/657TZDHZqj4

“Fields of Fire” https://youtu.be/19eti8Lf2Zo

“Harvest Home” https://youtu.be/QByihCyvNJI

Live at Reading 1986 https://youtu.be/1UlnVnQ06ZM

The Pretenders:

“My City Was Gone” https://youtu.be/thu8DWsirJo

“Back on the Chain Gang” https://youtu.be/CK3uf5V0pDA

Tony Butler:

“Heaven Saved a Place for You” https://youtu.be/PcjJoCdpJgY