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While attending school in Manhattan, one day during lunch I passed a brownstone building which was the New York office of King Records. They had a few album covers and photos in the window of artists I was familiar with. I have no idea what possessed me, but I walked into the office and announced to the secretary that I was a singer and piano player from Brooklyn who was just passing through. That’s exactly what I said. “Just passing through.” I remember it vividly. I added that I felt that they should listen to me. I know she got a kick out of it.

After taking my name, she called her boss and said “there is a very young man named Artie Butler out here who is a singer and piano player from Brooklyn just passing through, and he says we should listen to him.” I heard her boss laughing as he said “ok, let him just pass through my door.”

I entered this long room with a man at a desk at the far end. He introduced himself as Henry Glover and said “you think I should hear you play and sing?” I said yes I do. He pointed to the rehearsal piano and said “ok Artie play and sing for me.” Now you have to picture this 13 year old very white kid from Brooklyn standing in the office of King Records, which was a label that recorded some of the best black R&B acts in the world. Artists like James Brown, Bill Doggett, Hank Ballard and others of that stature. I could see the secretary and some other people looking into the office totally amused. Anyway, I sang and played the hottest version of “Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart” I could come up with. After the second Zing went by, he stopped me and asked to hear another song. I then proceeded to butcher the Cleftones hit “Who Wrote The Book Of Love.” When I finished, he looked me straight in the face and offered to sign me. I swear on everything holy that is exactly what happened.

I never made it back to school that day, or the next three days either. In about two weeks a contract arrived. I then got a call from a guy at King Records who wanted to play me some songs. I went to his office, and we picked two songs. “Lock, Stock And Barrel” and “Naughty Little Angel.” Next he sent me to meet with an arranger. Can you believe it? Me .. having another arranger? We worked on the songs and set up a recording session. A week later I’m recording in Belltone studios in Manhattan. About two months later my record was released on Deluxe Records, a subsidiary of King Records. I started hearing “Lock Stock & Barrel” on the radio. I can’t find the words to describe that feeling. I also remember seeing my record in the Colony Record Shop, which was “the” prominent record store on Broadway. Am I dating myself by saying record store?

Now skip a few years, and there I am in the music business working with Leiber and Stoller, playing piano and arranging for everyone in New York. I get a call from Roulette Records to work for Henry Glover as an arranger. The same Henry Glover from King Records. I broke up laughing. We recorded a bunch of projects together before I left for Los Angeles in 1967. Artists like Dinah Washington, Anita Humes etc.

We became very good friends. We often laughed at the day that I showed up in his office while “just passing through” and sang “Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart.” He told me what turned him on was this young kid with guts and passion and fire in his eyes. As I listen to ”Lock, Stock and Barrel” and “Naughty Little Angel” today, I can only laugh at myself for thinking I could sing. My voice sounds like I was out of town when puberty arrived. However in retrospect, it really wasn’t about singing at all. It was about determination, a vision and as Henry Glover said “guts and passion.”

The real lesson of course is if you have a vision or a dream, chase it. That’s all I’ve ever done, or know how to do. Guess what .. the fire is still in my eyes. I have some brand new visions and believe it or not … as I write this I’m still chasing dreams.