Interview: Rosemary Butler

When Jackson Browne assembled the band for his 1977 landmark live album Running on Empty, he chose some of the best musicians in the business. For backing vocals he chose Rosemary Butler. The rest, as they say, is history.

By that point, Butler already had a notable career in music. She was in the all-female band the Ladybirds, which opened for The Rolling Stones in 1964. She later joined the all-female hard rock band Birtha, which released two albums in the early 1970′s. And she had sung backing vocals for Bonnie Raitt and Warren Zevon. She went on to sing backing vocals for many other notable artists including Linda Ronstadt, Ringo Starr, James Taylor, Little Feat, and many more. Butler just released a new album You Just Watch Me.

This interview was done by email for a preview article for her concert at SOhO in Santa Barbara on 12/1/13, with answers received on Thanksgiving Day, 11/28/13. (L. Paul Mann photo)

Concert Review: Bonnie Bramlett and Friends

Review of Bonnie Bramlett with Rosemary Butler, Tata Vega, Carl Graves, Eddie Tuduri, Edward James Olmos, and more, 9/28/12, Lobero Theatre, Santa Barbara.

Photos: Bonnie and Friends

Photos of Bonnie Bramlett, Rosemary Butler, Tata Vega, and Carl Graves at the Lobero Theatre, Santa Barbara, 9/28/12 (L. Paul Mann photos, copyrighted and all rights reserved)

Photos: Paul Barrere and Fred Tackett

Photos of Paul Barrere and Fred Tackett from Little Feat at the Lobero Theatre, Santa Barbara, 9/28/12 (L. Paul Mann photos, copyrighted and all rights reserved)