John Butler

The show traced his family history from his deceased grandfather's war diaries through to ancestors in Bulgaria and the events of the 1876 April Uprising.

He began playing guitar at the age of sixteen after his grandmother gave him a 1930s dobro belonging to his deceased grandfather.

John Charles Wiltshire-Butler (born 1 April 1975), professionally known as John Butler, is an American-Australian singer, songwriter, and music producer.

John Charles Wiltshire-Butler was born on 1 April 1975 to an Australian father, Darryl Wiltshire-Butler, and an American mother, Barbara (née Butler).[A] He was named after his paternal grandfather, John Wiltshire, a forestry worker who died fighting a bushfire in Nannup.

Butler has British, Bulgarian, and Greek ancestry through his father.

In January 1986, after his parents divorced, Butler's father moved the family to Western Australia.

They eventually settled in Pinjarra, a small country town, and Butler attended Pinjarra Primary School and Pinjarra Senior High School.

John Butler's first gig was 9 September 1994 at the Metaphor Cafe in Escondido, California.

Vitamin recorded two tracks, "Deadhorse" and "Mary Jane" in the Belly Up Studios in Solana Beach, California in 1994.

Vitamin bandmate Ozzie Rea fronted Perth funk band, Proton.

The two can be found on The Live at Mojo's CD and performed together on New Years Ever Y2K.

John Butler was a busker on the streets of Fremantle playing his own compositions.

Vitamin recorded two tracks, "Deadhorse" and "Mary Jane", in the Belly Up Studios, Solana Beach, California in 1994.

There Vitamin was written up and reviewed in Go magazine they performed all around the San Diego area and played one show in Houston, Texas opening for Dive, who later became Osmant between in 1995.

Vitamin gigged all over San Diego and played one show in Houston, Texas in 1995.

In 1996, he attended Curtin University in Perth and enrolled in an art teaching course, but eventually abandoned his studies to pursue a career in music.

Some of his first musical performances were as a busker at the Fremantle Markets.

Butler was also participant in the Western Australian skateboarding scene, and is recognised for his involvement with the internationally renowned "Woolstores" street spot in Fremantle.

John travelled to Encinitas, California, after high school, where he spent two years with his brother Jim and began his music career in a band called Vitamin.

In mid-1996, he released a self-recorded cassette of his instrumentals, Searching for Heritage, which sold 3,000 copies.

He played different styles of music including "Indian, Celtic, bluegrass and folk".

Butler had his first paid performance in 1997 at the Seaview Hotel in Fremantle.

He is the front man for the John Butler Trio, a roots and jam band that formed in Fremantle, Western Australia, in 1998.

The John Butler Trio has recorded five studio albums including three that have reached number one on the Australian charts: Sunrise Over Sea, Grand National and April Uprising.

His recordings and live performances have met with critical praise and have garnered awards from the Australian Performing Right Association and Australian Recording Industry Association.

Butler was born in the United States and moved to Australia at an early age.

He began playing the guitar at the age of sixteen.

In 1998, North Fremantle Mojo's club owner Phil Stevens hired Butler as a regular performer.

Stevens became his manager and later his business partner.

John Butler began his music career in a band called Vitamin.

His first paying gig was at the Metaphor Cafe in Escondido, California.

Vitamin was written up twice in the Escondido Times-Advocate.

Vitamin bandmate Ozzie Rea moved to Australia in 1998 and fronted a Perth funk band called Proton who shared John Butler Trio's drummer.

The trio can be found on The Live at Mojo's CD and gigged together on New Years Eve Y2K.

The members of Vitamin were John Butler (12-string guitar, vocals); Ozzie Rea (vocals); Justin Bancroft (electric guitar); Taria Flower Star (bass); Duck Grossberg (bass); Desiree (congas); Gabe (Djembe); Jim (Harmonica); and Hailey Odom (harmonica).

Butler was joined by drummer Jason McGann (Mojos sound engineer) and bass player Gavin Shoesmith to form the John Butler Trio and recorded the John Butler album which was released on Waterfront Records in December 1998.

In 2002, Butler, along with several partners, formed their own record label.

He is also the co-founder of a grant program that seeks to improve artistic diversity in his home country, Australia, where he resides with his wife and children.

At various times the members of the John Butler Trio included drummers Michael Barker (2003–2009) and Nicky Bomba, bass players Rory Quirk (2001–2002), Andrew Fry (April 2002 – November 2002), Shannon Birchall (2002–2009) and Byron Luiters.

His genealogy was investigated on an episode of the SBS Television series Who Do You Think You Are?, which aired on 1 November 2009.