“Its great to see people like Chris who are brave enough to leap into the unknown, go out and chase their dreams, and achieve their goals whilst contributing to their broader community. To me that’s the essence of a fulfilled life. Good luck Chris!” John Butler
John Butler is one of the unique musicians of our time. John is best known for his talents as a musician but he is also outspoken with his political beliefs and statements advocating peace, environmental protection and worldwide compassion and respect during his concerts.
Apart from John’s incredible musical abilities, his bold ideals of independence, artistic integrity and ethical business practices are inspiring in themselves. John has been able to mold these ideals into a reality, thriving independently within the music industry, providing new direction, inspiring other young artists and using his influence to help others.
John Bulter started his music career busking at the Freemantle Markets in Western Australia. Influenced by many different styles of music at an early age, John produced his first independent release titled “Searching for Heritage” which sold 3000 copies enabling him to produce the his first CD recording and the formation of his band, The John Butler Trio. Working hard to continue John’s independent model, John teamed up with fellow West Australian band the Waifs to create their own independent record label, Jarrah Records.
Through his talents as a musician and social advocate, john has supported a number of organizations through donating a proportion of ticket sales to the Refugee Action Coalition, The Wilderness Society, Save Ningaloo Reef Campaign and The JB Seed all benefiting from touring donations. Initially independently funded by John, the JB Seed programme is designed to explore and encourage the social, cultural, and artistic diversity in Australian society. The JB Seed in its second year has developed and been nationally recognised with industry peers and experts both offering contributions financially and via their knowledge and time.
With landmark achievements and recognition born of dedication, trust, and pure hard work, a precedent had been set to aspiring artists in Australia and around the world. Performances have included two sold out shows at the legendary Fillmore East in San Francisco, a standing ovation at the celebrated New Orleans Jazz Festival, selling out the prestigious Grand Rex in Paris, rocking the Fuji Rock Festival in Japan, becoming the highest selling act at the Cambridge Folk Festival and performing main stage at Glastonbury, one of the most coveted gigs on the international festival circuit, and a landmark television performance on the David Letterman Show.
John also preformed at the Wave Aid benefit concert held in Sydney in January 2005 for victims of the Boxing Day tsunami to raise money and awareness for the plight of hundreds of thousands of people caught up innocently in possibly the world’s largest natural disaster. The Wave Aid Tsunami Relief Concert, co-organised by John Butler’s manager Phil Stevens, raised over two million dollars and this figure continues to grow through DVD sales. The John Butler Trio took part in an historical event created to increase awareness of the MAKE POVERTY HISTORY Campaign www.makepovertyhistory.org. John as always was honoured to support such an important cause and joined members of U2 and Pearl Jam, as well as many of Australia’s finest acts in performing to raise awareness of the extreme gap between rich and poor nations.
