photo courtesy of Juanita Atkins


Henry and The Game Band play for NARAS - December 2004
photo by Kimball Packard

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions (and Some That Are Not...)

From time to time, we will be posting excerpts of Henry's responses to some of his fan mail. If you have any questions for Henry, he would love to hear from you.

Click Here to email Henry Butler.

W.F in New Orleans asks:

Are your songs an extension of our life?

Henry:

Many of the songs that I write are based on environmental experiences and not necessarily direct realizations

My life has taken me to many places from the street to levels equivalent to some of the highest places in many governments. This gives me a chance to see and hear many things, appreciate both directly and indirectly how people live thier lives and treat their personal universes.

Tom in Michigan writes:

Your arrangement of Au bord de L'eau is truly inspired! The words are amazing in and of themselves -- the melody Faure has complimented them with works so well... how do you take something that well done and make an instrumental arrangement? do you have a chart of the song you played from or do you work out of your heart and head?

Henry:

Making an instrumental arrangement out of a song that is as beautiful and musical as Au Bord de L'eau was quite easy. It was one of the compositions that I sang as an undergrad along with several other Faure pieces. I felt that I was able to attune somewhat to his musical spirit, keeping a sort of purity and originality in the arrangement, while at the same time bringing to the song, a little of my own uniqueness.

It is my opinion that the arranger brings his own personality to the piece that he is shaping. The arrangement comes from -- and through -- mind energy based on the published score, usually located in French art songbooks that most college vocal students can buy.