While I was a struggling musician in the early 1950s in Cairo, Illinois, I was fortunate to have come in contact with Ray Butts. He did all the electronic work for the city, such as keeping police car radios workinG. Ray had a music store where I worked for him at that time. We did some gigs together but his first love was electronics rather than playing his accordian. After Les Paul started making big hits with the new sound of echo and multi-dubs on guitar, I encouraged Ray to build me an Amp that would have an echo in it. This was long before all the stomp boxes we have today. Ray built a prototype with a wire loop which I used for about a year. After that we converted to the tape system as the noise level was not acceptable on the wire job. Chet Atkins heard about it and Ray took mine to Nashville for Atkins to hear. He got the second one and immediately played it on the Today Show with Dave Garroway where he explained about his new Amp with the multi echos. Chet's biggest record was 'Mr. Sandman' in which the Echosonic amp was used. Scotty Moore, guitarist with Elvis, got one of the next ones, as did many other noted guitarists at the time. I still feel that the big echo in Scottie's amp contributed to propel Elvis up the ladder to his fame and fortune. The amp is in several of the old movies being played by Scottie Moore. Now, since Ray's passing this month I still reminisce how my urging got him to build that first Amp. Since it was a one man factory he only built about 40 and wound up going to work for Chet Atkins at RCA. A recording engineer working with Chet would be the job he did until he retired. He defied many naysayers and built this Echo amp. Before that time, only a recording studio could get this effect. Ray Butts will be missed by many of us in the music business that he helped along the way.

Bill Gwaltney
Union City,
Tennessee.

LINKS:

Re-examining Vintage Analog Effects

Tape echos

Effects and Signal Processors