ROOTS of Country Music

The Professional Work of Hillous Butrum

(Apr. 21, 1928 ~ Apr. 27, 2002)

Hillous Butrum had a professional career spanning over 50 years which included a stint with Hank Williams  and the Drifting Cowboys and other entertainers such as Hank Snow and Marty Robbins.

Pictured right the Drifting Cowboys: Hillous Butrum with standup bass guitar.

Butrum went on to establish Butrum Enterprises Publishing Company and was very active and past President in the Reunion of Professional Entertainers (R.O.P.E.) organization for musicians.

The backup group that accompanied Hank Williams on his best known Grand Ole Opry shows and recordings, the Drifting Cowboys became the prototype for hundreds of other honky-tonk bands of the 1950s and beyond.

The core group played on all of Williams' classic MGM recordings from the late-1940s and early-1950s, as well as touring with him and appearing on his regular Louisiana Hayride and Grand Ole Opry spots.

Hillous Butrum was born in Lafayette, Tennessee. Butrum found his way to Nashville and landed a job at WSM Radio and eventually wound up a staff musician at the Grand Ole Opry. From there, he joined Hank Williams' legendary band The Drifting Cowboys.

Hillous Butrum joined The Drifting Cowboys in 1949 and remained with the band until1950. Williams was hooked on chemicals and his behavior became increasingly erratic in the late-1940s.

This led Butrum to jump ship and join Hank Snow's Rainbow Ranch Boys. Butrum was replaced by Cedric Rainwater, who had worked in bluegrass bands and also as a session musician.

On December 21, 1950 Butrum joined Hank Snow's Rainbow Ranch Boys, where he remained for 4 years. Around 1956, Butrum and Marty Robbins formed the music publishing house of BE-ARE Music. It was also around this time that Mr. Butrum joined Marty's Band and he remained there for 4-1/2 years.

In the 1960's Mr. Butrum formed his own record label called Look Records. One of the artists he recorded was Don Wayne. In 1977, Butrum joined a reformed Drifting Cowboys band that also included Don Helms, Jerry Rivers, & Bob McNett.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Marty Robbins Recording Session

Nov. 3, 1955 

Nashville, Tenneessee

Producer: Don Law 

Session Personnel: Marty Robbins (vocal, guitar), Ray Edenton, Hillous Butrum (guitar), James Farmer (steel guitar), Owen Bradley (piano), Floyd Chance (bass guitar, Farris Coursey (drums)

• Singing the Blues

Sep. 4, 1956

Nashville, Tenneessee

Producer: Don Law 

Session Personnel: Marty Robbins (vocal, guitar), Hillous Butrum, Jack Pruett (guitar), James Farmer (steel guitar), Floyd Cramer (piano), Grover Lavender (fiddle), Floyd Chance (bass guitar)

• Knee Deep In the Blues

Mar. 13, 1956

Nashville, Tenneessee

Producer: Don Law 

Session Personnel: Marty Robbins (vocal, guitar), Hillous Butrum, Hank Garland  (guitar), James Farmer (steel guitar), Floyd Cramer (piano), Grover Lavender (fiddle), Floyd Chance (bass guitar), Jimmy Gossett (drums)

• Mister Teardrop

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Researched and written by Richard Bell, Roots of Country Music, Dec. 15, 2011.

Hillous Butrum

Hillous Butrum

(back row holding standup base)