Richard Butler (singer)

Richard Lofthouse Butler was born on 5 June 1956 in Kingston upon Thames, southwest London. His father, George Butler, was a research chemist, communist and atheist. In the 1970s, George Butler was slated to become a scientific ambassador to the Soviet Union but a friend convinced him this would not be a good place for his family. Butler's mother was an artist. Butler started art school in London with the idea of becoming a painter. After graduation, he worked in a silk-screen print shop but got the idea to form a band.{{cite web |url=http://bombmagazine.org/article/7309/richard-butler|title=Richard Butler|author=Rexer, Lyle|access-date=19 March 2016}}

Butler formed the Psychedelic Furs in 1977 with his bassist brother Tim Butler.{{cite book | title=The Rough Guide to Rock: the definitive guide to more than 1200 artists and bands | author=Buckley, Peter | publisher=Rough Guides | year=2003 | ISBN=9781858284576 | url-access=registration | url=https://archive.org/details/roughguidetorock00roug }} According to Butler, the Psychedelic Furs began rehearsing in the Butlers' front room, but were soon banished because of the noise.{{cite web |url=http://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/love-their-way/Content?oid=3795986|title=Love Their Way: The Psychedelic Furs will take the Rialto stage providing a look back on college rock memories|date=30 May 2013|author=Armstrong, Gene|access-date=19 March 2016}} Joined by guitarist John Ashton, guitarist Roger Morris, drummer Vince Ely and saxophonist Duncan Kilburn, the band quickly gained commercial success.

The Psychedelic Furs went on hiatus in the early 1990s and Butler became the founder and lead singer of Love Spit Love. By 2000 he stated that Love Spit Love had "gone into remission."{{cite web |url=http://cholermagazine.com/tag/psychedelic-furs|title=Back In The Pink: An Interview with Richard Butler of the Psychedelic Furs|date=2 August 2000|author=Flinn, Sean|access-date=19 March 2016}} His work with Love Spit Love can be heard on the hit syndicated television show Charmed. A truncated version of LSL's cover version of the Smiths' hit song "How Soon Is Now?" – recorded for The Craft soundtrack – plays during the Charmed opening credits. He also sang backing vocals, on "I Am Anastasia" by the American band Sponge. Love Spit Love's "Am I Wrong" was the theme over the opening credits of the 1995 film Angus.

In 2001, the Psychedelic Furs reformed after a nine-year hiatus and have toured worldwide since then.

In early 2006, Butler released the eponymous solo album titled Richard Butler, a collection of songs dedicated to his late father, George Butler, and also Jon Carin's father, Arthur A. Carin (Carin was Richard Butler's collaborator on the release, co-authoring and arranging much of the music). In 2014, Butler covered Charles Aznavour's "She" for the Gone Girl teaser trailer.{{cite web |url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20807155,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140417152115/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20807155,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 April 2014 |title=Is Gone Girl David Fincher's Creepiest Trailer? A Ranking |author1=Alynda Wheat |author2=Samantha Miller |publisher=People Magazine Online |date=15 April 2014}}

Butler co-wrote "Ghosts Again" with Martin Gore, the first single from the Depeche Mode album Memento Mori, released on February 9, 2023.{{Cite web |last=Pearis |first=Bill|title=Depeche Mode share "Ghosts Again," first single from new LP 'Memento Mori' |url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/depeche-mode-share-ghosts-again-first-single-from-new-lp-memento-mori/ |access-date=2023-02-11 |website=BrooklynVegan |language=en}} He also co-wrote three other songs on that album.

Richard Butler has one daughter, Maggie Mozart Butler (b. September 1997).{{cite news | url=https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/music/love-his-way-6400853 | title=Love His Way | work=Phoenix New Times | date=March 30, 2006 | access-date=April 14, 2019 | first=Dan | last=Leroy}} In September 2020 Butler married model and actress Erika Anderson known from A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child and Zandalee.{{cite news |last1=Mallozzi |first1=Vincent M. |title=Not Far From Mulholland Drive, Love Bloomed |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/02/style/not-far-from-mulholland-drive-love-bloomed.html |access-date=5 July 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=2 October 2020 |language=en}}

Richard Butler studied painting at the Epsom School of Art and Design (now University for the Creative Arts). Shortly after graduating from the art school, in 1977, Richard Butler became a founder and singer/songwriter for the British post-punk / new wave band "The Psychedelic Furs". Quickly gaining commercial success, his musical career kept him away from painting throughout the 80s and the 90s. In early 2000s, Richard Butler returned to painting and started exhibiting his art in the U.S. and Europe. He prefers to call himself a painter who sings, rather than a singer who paints. He lives and works in Connecticut. He has had solo exhibitions in New York City, Miami (Aliona Ortega Fine Art),{{cite web |url=https://whitehotmagazine.com/articles/richard-butler-songsforstarlings/6088|title=Richard Butler: Songsforstarlings at Aliona Ortega Fine Art|author=Blazier, Wendy M.| date= 14 November 2023 | publisher=Whitehot Magazine|access-date=11 September 2024}} and Florence, Italy. One of his works, Girl with a Map, has been used as a CD's cover art.{{cite web | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/9231367/new_days_for_psych_furs_butler | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060207060831/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/9231367/new_days_for_psych_furs_butler | url-status=dead | archive-date=7 February 2006 | title=New Days for Psych Furs' Butler | author=Gerstenzang, Peter | publisher=Rolling Stone | date=6 February 2006 | access-date=2008-09-18}}

{{main|The Psychedelic Furs discography}}

Solo

• Richard Butler (2006)

The Psychedelic Furs

• The Psychedelic Furs (1980)
• Talk Talk Talk (1981)
• Forever Now (1982)
• Mirror Moves (1984)
• Midnight to Midnight (1987)
• Book of Days (1989)
• World Outside (1991)
• Made of Rain (2020)

Love Spit Love

• Love Spit Love (1994)
• Trysome Eatone (1997)

{{Reflist}}

• {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=mn0000350900|title=Richard Butler|accessdate=18 September 2016}}
• {{discogs artist|artist=Richard Butler|name=Richard Butler}}
• {{IMDb name|id=1592533}}

{{The Psychedelic Furs}}

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Category:1956 births

Category:Alumni of the University for the Creative Arts

Category:English punk rock singers

Category:English new wave musicians

Category:MNRK Music Group artists

Category:Living people

Category:British male new wave singers

Category:Singers from the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames

Category:People from Kingston upon Thames

Category:The Psychedelic Furs members

Category:Love Spit Love members

Category:20th-century British male singers

Category:21st-century British male singers

Category:British male songwriters