George Butler, a prominent jazz record executive for the Columbia, Blue Note and United Artists labels from the late 1960s to the late 1990s, died on April 9 in Castro Valley, Calif. He was 76.
His death was confirmed by his sister, Jacqueline Butler Hairston.
Mr. Butler was best known for working to make jazz recordings dovetail with trends in popular music in the 1970s and 1980s, and for helping to encourage the Young Lions movement that began in the '80s, when Wynton Marsalis and other neo-traditionalists became stars.
Mr. Butler was a famously natty presence on the jazz scene. He lived in New York City for decades, but by October 2005, suffering from Alzheimer's disease, he had moved to a retirement home in Hayward, Calif.
Born and raised in Charlotte, N.C., Mr. Butler attended Howard University and received a master's degree in music education from Teachers College at Columbia University. (The “Dr." title he frequently used came from an honorary doctorate given to him by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.)
His death was confirmed by his sister, Jacqueline Butler Hairston.
Mr. Butler was best known for working to make jazz recordings dovetail with trends in popular music in the 1970s and 1980s, and for helping to encourage the Young Lions movement that began in the '80s, when Wynton Marsalis and other neo-traditionalists became stars.
Mr. Butler was a famously natty presence on the jazz scene. He lived in New York City for decades, but by October 2005, suffering from Alzheimer's disease, he had moved to a retirement home in Hayward, Calif.
Born and raised in Charlotte, N.C., Mr. Butler attended Howard University and received a master's degree in music education from Teachers College at Columbia University. (The “Dr." title he frequently used came from an honorary doctorate given to him by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.)
