So September 12, the day on which we lost Johnny Cash also marked the passing of another great musician, one who you may not of heard of, but you certainly heard his drumming, Kenny Buttrey. Kenny was only 59 when he lost his battle with cancer in 2004, but he left behind a hell of a legacy….from Wikipedia:
….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 appears on Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde, Nashville Skyline, and John Wesley Harding albums; Young’s albums Tonight’s the Night, Harvest, and Harvest Moon; and Buffett’s Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes (including the iconic “Margaritaville”). He also worked with J.J. Cale, Bob Seger, Gordon Lightfoot, Elvis Presley, Mickey Newbury, Donovan, George Harrison, Joan Baez, Dan Fogelberg and Kris Kristofferson. 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 latest studio album Rock It. Also in 1979, Kenny played drums on contemporary Christian singer Don Francisco’s “Got to Tell Somebody” album. He was quoted as saying he is most proud of his drumming on Bob Dylan’s “Lay Lady Lay”, released on Nashville Skyline.
Barefoot Jerry
There was a time when I would scour the back of albums of artists that I didn’t know and if the names Kenny Buttrey, Norbert Putnam,.David Briggs were on the album I knew if I didn’t like anything else on the album the music was going to be damn good. Kenny along with the members of the groups he was in including Area Code 615 and Barefoot Jerry certainly helped to shape my taste for Americana music! So here’s a rare tape of Area Code 615 appearing on The Johnny Cash Show. Her are the members of the band and what a great collection of musician they were! 
Area Code 615:
Mac Gayden – Lead Guitar, Vocals
Charlie McCoy – Harmonica, Vocals
Bobby Thompson – Banjo, Guitar
Wayne Moss – Guitar, Bass
Buddy Spicher – Fiddle, Viola, Cello
David Briggs – Keyboards Ken Lauber – Keyboards
Norbert Putnam – Bass, Cello
Kenny Buttrey – Drums
Weldon Myrick – Pedal Steel Guitar
So Kenny, thanks for all the great music, we will never forget you! Here’s a link to a video discussing Kenny’s drumming and the recording of “Lay Lady Lay” Here
