Editing Hillous Butrum

{{short description|American singer-songwriter}}

{{more citations needed|date=January 2012}}
'''Hillous Buel "Bew" Butrum''' (April 21, 1928 &ndash; April 27, 2002) was an American [[country music]] [[guitar]] player and a record and video producer best known as being a member of [[Hank Williams]]' [[Drifting Cowboys]].

Hillous Butrum was born in [[Lafayette, Tennessee]].<ref name="LAT"/> Butrum found his way to [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]] and landed a job at [[WSM (AM)|WSM]] Radio.{{Citation needed|date=January 2012}} He eventually wound up a staff musician on the [[Grand Ole Opry]], at age 16.<ref name="LAT"/> From there, he played bass for [[Hank Williams]]' band "The Drifting Cowboys." He would play with the Drifting Cowboys from 1949 until 1950.<ref name="LAT">{{cite news | title=Hillous Butrum, 74; Original Member of Hank Williams' Band | work=Obituaries | publisher=[[Los Angeles Times]] | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-may-03-me-passing3.2-story.html | access-date=11 January 2011 | date=May 3, 2002}}</ref> After the passing of Williams, Butrum joined [[Hank Snow|Hank Snow's]] band, the Rainbow Ranch Boys,<ref name="LAT"/> and later played on many [[Marty Robbins]] recording sessions.{{Citation needed|date=January 2012}} He'd eventually start a music publishing company with Robbins.<ref name="LAT"/>

He established "Butrum Enterprises Publishing Company" and owned [[Look Records]].<ref name="LAT"/> He produced many early country music [[documentary film|documentaries]] including "''[[Music City USA]]''".<ref name="LAT"/> Butrum would tour again, from 1977 to 1984, with the reformed Drifting Cowboys.<ref name="LAT"/>

Later in life, Butrum became active in the "Reunion of Professional Entertainers," and distributed vintage country music videos through Nashville retail stores and his website.<ref name="LAT"/>

Hillous Butrum died in his Nashville home about two weeks after the death of his wife Phyllis (Frost) Butrum. His funeral was held in [[Goodlettsville, Tennessee]] and was attended by notable music industry figures including [[Hal Bynum]], [[Merle Kilgore]], Bobby Tomberlin, Robbie Wittkowski, Tim Jones, and [[Don Helms]]. He was interred in the Underwood Cemetery in his hometown of Lafayette.

The day before Butrum's death, he agreed to an exclusive interview with ''Country Music Source'' magazine detailing his long and inspiring music career. The interview was scheduled for April 29, 2002. In lieu of the interview, ''Country Music Source'' printed a memoriam for Butrum.

==References==
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[[Category:1928 births]]
[[Category:2002 deaths]]
[[Category:American country guitarists]]
[[Category:American male guitarists]]
[[Category:American country singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Record producers from Tennessee]]
[[Category:People from Lafayette, Tennessee]]
[[Category:20th-century American guitarists]]
[[Category:Singer-songwriters from Tennessee]]
[[Category:Guitarists from Tennessee]]
[[Category:20th-century American singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Country musicians from Tennessee]]
[[Category:20th-century American male musicians]]
[[Category:American male singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Drifting Cowboys members]]