John Butler Trio Lead APRA Nominations : May 21, 2008

The John Butler Trio leads this year’s nominees for the annual APRA awards, and the act is just one of the many male songwriting acts that heavily populated this batch [...]

john butler trio Biography

The Australian jam and roots band John Butler Trio is a group led by John Butler, a vocalist and guitarist. The band was formed in 1998 in Fremantle with bass guitarist Gavin Shoesmith and drummer Jason McGann. They released their debut alum “John Butler” in 1998. The trio by 2009 was Butler with bassist Byron Luiters and percussionist and drummer Nicky Bomba.

“Three,” the second studio album for the band, was released in 2001 and rose to the top 30 of Australia's album charts and reached platinum sales. The album won as Best Independent Release at the 2001 ARIA Music Awards. Their subsequent albums: 2004's “Sunrise Over Sea;” 2007's “Grand National,” and 2010's “April Uprising” all debuted in the No. 1 spot on Australia's album charts. All three albums also reached platinum sales status.

Their first live album, “Living 2001-2002,” was released in 2003 and achieved platinum status and the top ten in Australia. “Live at St. Gallen,” the second live album from John Butler Trio, reached gold record status. Since 2002, Jarrah Records has marketed the band's releases independently. Butler co-owns the label with the Waifs, a West Australian folk group, and Philip Stevens, who manages both acts.