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ON SEPTEMBER 15TH 2007...... A NEW WORLD RECORD WAS SET...... IT WAS FAST AND FURIOUS...... IT WAS HEART STOPPING...... THE ROOM SHUDDERED...... THE CROWD CHEERED......

Johnny entered the Guinness Book of World Records as...... 'THE FASTEST BANJO PICKER IN THE WORLD!'

"It don't pay the bills or fix the truck but I guess it's cool to have" JB

Banjo/ Guitar (Electric/Acoustic)/ Mandolin/ Fiddle/ Dobro/ Viola/ Bass (Electric & Upright)

Taunton born Johnny Butten started playing banjo (bluegrass) at the tender age of 9. By the time he was 14, he had won every major competition (adult class) in Europe.

When he was 16, he started playing guitar (acoustic and electric) and later studied fiddle, mandolin, viola, cello, bass (electric and upright) dobro and even ukulele. He began his professional career at 16 yrs old, playing most styles, though he seemed to find a niche for his natural talent in the ever growing field of modern country music. His dexterity and inventiveness on all instruments soon earned him an unrivalled reputation, as did his breathtaking speed & clarity - on the banjo in particular.

Johnny has worked with some of the finest musicians in his field, including such great names as Bill Keith, Kenny Baker, Josh Graves, Bob Black and Peter Rowan to name but a few. He has won many international awards for his playing - on all instruments, (many of which were when he lived in the U.S.A) and has experience in all areas of the music industry at international level, from roadie to manager and everything in between. In 1989 he put together the award winning country band 'Hard Cash' taking the BCMA award. He is rated as one of the top bluegrass banjo players in the world and one of the best multi - instrumentalists in Europe. In 1998, he was one of three nominees for the European fiddle player of the year award - in Vienna.

A highly proficient guitar player (both fingerstyle & flatpicking) his electric playing has a style reminiscent of Albert Lee/Ricky Skaggs - though he has never studied either in any detail. Indeed Johnny Butten has his own unmistakable style on everything he plays. He has a wonderful feel for everything he plays, be it a breathtakingly fast solo, or a gentle love song.

He is just as at home playing bluegrass as blues, jazz or rock - on any instrument. While he can play music with a more traditional flavour, he is also a progressive player utilizing banjo, fiddle, dobro etc in rock/indie/funk/blues/jazz and has experimented with numerous drum & bass/techno dance projects - Take a minute to listen to 'Cosmic Country' on Johnnys website...

Johnny only endorses the finest of products and as such, proudly uses pick ups from Schatten Design.

"I fitted the 'BJ-02 Pro' to my Kel Kroydon banjo 4 weeks ago and have gigged it hard. In a word, it's Awesome! I have spent so much money on every top dollar pick-up out there and none of them compare to the Schatten. Easy installation, well hidden, aesthetically pleasing, excellent volume control, and superior tone...I haven't found anything else that even comes close! I can't wait to try Schatten on my fiddle and guitar! Great job from the Pro's! Johnny Butten"

Johnny continues to teach, tour, gig, record and is currently a technical adviser on the CBA website/forum

Jamming in a bar with some locals while on tour with Peter Rowan