Carl Butler and Pearl
Encyclopedia
Carl Butler and Pearl was an American country music
husband-and-wife duo. Between 1962 and 1969, the duo released several singles and charted thirteen times on the U.S. country charts, reaching #1 in 1962 with their first single, "Don't Let Me Cross Over
".
, Tennessee
, on June 2, 1927. He grew up influenced by Roy Acuff
and the old time music around his home. He began singing at local dances at the age of 12 and, after service in World War II
, sang with several bluegrass bands and then as a solo act on numerous radio shows, including the “Mid Day Merry Go Round” on WNOX in Knoxville, Tennessee. During this period he met Pearl Dee Jones, a Nashville
native born September 30, 1927, who he married in 1952.
In 1961, Carl Butler recorded “Honky Tonkitis” which made it to number 25 on the country charts. The following year, the Butlers were invited to join the Grand Ole Opry
, and the exposure provided by the show helped them push “Don't Let Me Cross Over
” to number one. Their first single as a duo spent almost three months at the top of the country music charts and they remained one of country music’s most popular duos for the next 2 decades. Later chart records included “I Wouldn’t Change You If I Could”, “Too Late To Try Again”, “Loving Arms” and “I’m Hanging Up The Phone”.
Carl Butler was also a gifted songwriter, penning classics including “If Teardrops Were Pennies”, a #8 hit for Carl Smith
in 1951 and a top 10 single for Porter Wagoner
and Dolly Parton
in 1973, and “Crying My Heart Out Over You” which became Ricky Skaggs
’ first number one hit in 1981. The Butlers were also among Dolly Parton
's earliest supporters, whom they had worked with in Knoxville in the 50’s, and helped to get her established in Nashville in the early 60’s.
The Butlers continued to record throughout the 70’s but essentially retired to their ranch, “Crossover Acres”, near Franklin, Tennessee
, in the early 80’s. They made occasional guest appearances on the Opry until Pearl Butler died at the age of 60 on March 1, 1988. Carl made an unsuccessful attempt at a comeback after her death and died of a heart attack on September 4, 1992.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
husband-and-wife duo. Between 1962 and 1969, the duo released several singles and charted thirteen times on the U.S. country charts, reaching #1 in 1962 with their first single, "Don't Let Me Cross Over
Don't Let Me Cross Over
"Don't Let Me Cross Over" is a song made famous as a duet by Carl Butler and Pearl, a husband-and-wife country music duo. Originally released in November 1962, the song needed just four weeks to reach the number-one spot on the Billboard Country Singles chart...
".
Biography
Carl Robert Butler was born in KnoxvilleKnoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, on June 2, 1927. He grew up influenced by Roy Acuff
Roy Acuff
Roy Claxton Acuff was an American country music singer, fiddler, and promoter. Known as the King of Country Music, Acuff is often credited with moving the genre from its early string band and "hoedown" format to the star singer-based format that helped make it internationally successful.Acuff...
and the old time music around his home. He began singing at local dances at the age of 12 and, after service in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, sang with several bluegrass bands and then as a solo act on numerous radio shows, including the “Mid Day Merry Go Round” on WNOX in Knoxville, Tennessee. During this period he met Pearl Dee Jones, a Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
native born September 30, 1927, who he married in 1952.
In 1961, Carl Butler recorded “Honky Tonkitis” which made it to number 25 on the country charts. The following year, the Butlers were invited to join the Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
, and the exposure provided by the show helped them push “Don't Let Me Cross Over
Don't Let Me Cross Over
"Don't Let Me Cross Over" is a song made famous as a duet by Carl Butler and Pearl, a husband-and-wife country music duo. Originally released in November 1962, the song needed just four weeks to reach the number-one spot on the Billboard Country Singles chart...
” to number one. Their first single as a duo spent almost three months at the top of the country music charts and they remained one of country music’s most popular duos for the next 2 decades. Later chart records included “I Wouldn’t Change You If I Could”, “Too Late To Try Again”, “Loving Arms” and “I’m Hanging Up The Phone”.
Carl Butler was also a gifted songwriter, penning classics including “If Teardrops Were Pennies”, a #8 hit for Carl Smith
Carl Smith (country musician)
Carl Milton Smith was an American country music singer. Known as "Mister Country," Smith was the husband of June Carter and Goldie Hill, the drinking companion of Johnny Cash, and the father of Carlene Carter...
in 1951 and a top 10 single for Porter Wagoner
Porter Wagoner
Porter Wayne Wagoner was a popular American country music singer known for his flashy Nudie and Manuel suits and blond pompadour. He introduced the young Dolly Parton near the beginning of her career on his long-running television show, and they were a well-known duet throughout the late 1960s and...
and Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
in 1973, and “Crying My Heart Out Over You” which became Ricky Skaggs
Ricky Skaggs
Rickie Lee "Ricky" Skaggs is a country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, and banjo.-Early career:...
’ first number one hit in 1981. The Butlers were also among Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
's earliest supporters, whom they had worked with in Knoxville in the 50’s, and helped to get her established in Nashville in the early 60’s.
The Butlers continued to record throughout the 70’s but essentially retired to their ranch, “Crossover Acres”, near Franklin, Tennessee
Franklin, Tennessee
Franklin is a city within and the county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 62,487 as of the 2010 census Franklin is located approximately south of downtown Nashville.-History:...
, in the early 80’s. They made occasional guest appearances on the Opry until Pearl Butler died at the age of 60 on March 1, 1988. Carl made an unsuccessful attempt at a comeback after her death and died of a heart attack on September 4, 1992.
Albums
| Year | Album | Chart Positions | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
|||
| 1963 | Don't Let Me Cross Over | 104 | Columbia | |
| 1964 | Loving Arms | 10 | ||
| 1965 | Old and the New | |||
| 1966 | The Great Carl Butler Sings | Harmony | ||
| 1967 | Avenue of Prayer | Columbia | ||
| 1968 | Our Country World | |||
| 1969 | Honky Tonkin | 41 | ||
| 1970 | Greatest Hits | |||
| 1971 | For the First Time | Harmony | ||
| 1972 | Watch and Pray | |||
| Temptation Keeps Twisting Her Arms | Chart | |||
| 1980 | Country We Love | Pedaca | ||
| Honky Tonkitis | CMH |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
|||
| 1961 | "Honky Tonkitis" (Carl Butler) | 25 | Don't Let Me Cross Over | |
| 1962 | "Don't Let Me Cross Over Don't Let Me Cross Over "Don't Let Me Cross Over" is a song made famous as a duet by Carl Butler and Pearl, a husband-and-wife country music duo. Originally released in November 1962, the song needed just four weeks to reach the number-one spot on the Billboard Country Singles chart... " |
1 | 88 | |
| 1963 | "Loving Arms" | 14 | Loving Arms | |
| 1964 | "Too Late to Try Again" | 9 | Old and the New | |
| "My Tears Don't Show" | 36 | Our Country World | ||
| "I'm Hanging Up the Phone" | 14 | |||
| "Forbidden Street" | 23 | single only | ||
| 1965 | "We'd Destroy Each Other" | 38 | Old and the New | |
| "Just Thought I'd Let You Know" | 22 | Loving Arms | ||
| "Beers and Tears" | singles only | |||
| "Our Ship of Love" | 42 | |||
| 1966 | "Wrong Generation" | |||
| "Little Pedro" | 31 | Our Country World | ||
| "Dreaming of a Little Cabin" | Loving Arms | |||
| 1967 | "For a Minute There" | single only | ||
| 1968 | "If I'd Only Met You First" | Our Country World | ||
| "Punish Me Tomorrow"A | 28 | Honky Tonkin | ||
| 1969 | "I Never Got Over You" | 46 | ||
| "We'll Sweep Out the Ashes in the Morning" | 63 | singles only | ||
| "If Teardrops Were Pennies" | ||||
| 1970 | "Used to Own This Train" | |||
| "Bottoms Up" | ||||
| 1971 | "Temptation Keeps Twisting Her Arms" | Temptation Keeps Twisting Her Arms | ||
| 1972 | "She Didn't Come Home" | |||
| 1973 | "Heartaches for Lunch" | |||
| 1980 | "Motel Song" | Honky Tonkitis |
- A"Punish Me Tomorrow" peaked at #25 on the RPMRPM (magazine)RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
Country Tracks chart in Canada.