Gizz Butt
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| Gizz Butt | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Graham Butt |
| Born | 1966 Manchester, England |
| Genre(s) | Punk Thrash metal |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar |
| Years active | 1984 to present |
| Associated acts | The Prodigy Sabbat |
Gizz Butt (born Graham Butt, in Manchester, England in 1966) is a British musician, best known for playing the guitar during live performances by band The Prodigy in the late 1990s.
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early years
Butt acquired the nickname "Gizz" from the character 'Gizzard Puke' The Kenny Everett Show. Coming from a musical background, Butt began playing the guitar at the age of eleven, taking lessons with a jazz guitarist in Manchester. In 1978, his family had relocated to Peterborough, where Butt formed his first band, The System. He was quickly recruited by another band, The Destructors. By 1984 he had left The Destructors to join The English Dogs. While in The English Dogs he toured the USA, and it was at this time Graham's fusion of punk and metal based guitar playing was started to get him noticed by the likes of Metallica and helping influence the thrash metal genre. By 1987 Graham had moved on again, formed another band, Wardance.
Butt auditioned for the guitarist position with The Prodigy, on hearing that Jim Davies had left. He toured with The Prodigy for 3 years. After playing with The Prodigy throughout the 1996–97 period, Butt formed Janus Stark in 1998 who had US chart success with ‘Every Little Thing Counts’. Butt still continues to play with the English Dogs, and formed another band in 2003, The More I See, a thrash metal 5 piece.
Butt has performed with British thrashers Sabbat since the D.O.D festival, replacing original bassist Fraser Craske. He will continue to perform with the band for the remainder of their 2007 festival appearances, and all European and American dates in 2008.
Outside of performance work, Butt teaches, formerly at Stamford School, now at Hampton College, Peterborough.
