Kenny played with me on Harvest, Harvest Moon, Tuscaloosa, plus songs ‘The Great Divide’ and ‘Buffalo Springfield Again’ from the album Silver & Gold. He can be seen playing drums in the Julien Temple directed video of ‘Harvest Moon’. He can also be seen and heard in the Harvest videos, ‘Words’, ‘Are you Ready for the Country?’ and Alabama.
Through his short life, Kenny played with scores of greats like Bob Dylan (Lay Lady Lay), the Everly Brothers, Roy Orbison, and many more.
Kenny Buttrey was a classic drummer, a true original with a feel that was his own. Playing with him on Harvest was a truly memorable and wonderful experience.
Elliot Mazer put together the Harvest recording band, known later as the Stray Gators, on short notice. He made the musicians and Quadraohonic Sound Studio in Nashville available to me when I was in town doing an early Johnny Cash show. I think it was either his idea or my idea to record on a spur of the moment, but Elliot made it happen that’s how I met Kenny.
He sat behind his drums, smiling amiably, and said he wanted to be able to see my right hand. The engineers moved baffles around to make that line of sight possible. He was right with me on every take. Kenny was in a class by himself.
ny
more. . . . .
Aaron Kenneth Buttrey (April 1, 1945 – September 12, 2004) was an American drummer and arranger. According to CMT, he was “one of the most influential session musicians in Nashville history”.Buttrey was born in Nashville, Tennessee, became a professional musician at age 11 and went on his first world tour at the age of 14 with Chet Atkins. He first worked with Charlie McCoy and went on to play with two of his own groups, Barefoot Jerry and Area Code 615. Area Code 615 was best known for its song “Stone Fox Chase,” which was the theme song for the BBC music programme The Old Grey Whistle Test in the 1970s.However, he was best known as a session player and worked with a number of well-known musicians. His best-known work was with Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Jimmy Buffett. He also plays on a number of early 70’s albums by Al Kooper.He appears on Dylan’s albums Blonde on Blonde, Nashville Skyline, Self Portrait and John Wesley Harding; Young’s albums Tonight’s the Night, Harvest and Harvest Moon; and Buffett’s Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes (including the hit “Margaritaville”). He also worked with Joe Simon, playing on Simon hits “The Chokin’ Kind,” “Farther On Down The Road” and “Moonwalk”, J.J. Cale, Bob Seger, Gordon Lightfoot, Elvis Presley, Mickey Newbury, Donovan, George Harrison, Joan Baez, Peggy Scott and Jo Jo Benson, Dan Fogelberg, Kris Kristofferson, and Leo Kottke. In addition to studio work, Buttrey was a member of Neil Young’s touring band, the Stray Gators. In 1972, he left the Stray Gators during their tour, saying all the fan attention was too much. Johnny Barbata replaced Buttrey in mid-tour. Buttrey also played in the group Rig. In 1979, Buttrey provided the drumming for Chuck Berry’s studio album Rock It. Also in 1979, he played drums on contemporary Christian singer Don Francisco’s album Got to Tell Somebody.He was quoted as saying he was most proud of his drumming on Bob Dylan’s “Lay Lady Lay”, released on Nashville Skyline. Buttrey died of cancer in Nashville on September 12, 2004.