December 7, 1997

County's First Troubadour Was Canadian Country Singer

With thanks to Albert Sholtens

Charlotte County got its very own troubadour in 1960 when Jack Butwell emigrated from Toronto, Canada. Today he is remembered as a pioneer of country music. In another generation or so he probably will be remembered as a “folk singer” inasmuch as he composed, played and sang music about familiar places and experiences.

For example, an album titled “I Love Florida” consisted of his twelve most popular songs. Among them were “My Port Charlotte,” “Tamiami Bar,” “Florida Waltz,” and “Miami On My Mind.”

The lyrics for “My Port Charlotte” would draw praise from Mike Haymans, today’s home-grown troubadour:

The sun shines every day on my Port Charlotte,
Charlotte Town in Southwest Flor-i-da.
Port Charlotte, my Port Charlotte.
The Moon is resting like a golden angel
in the evenings on the Gulf of Mexico.
Port Charlotte, my Port Charlotte.
 
The fishing’s great for those who pursue it.
Beaches are a shade of Heaven’s white.
Port Charlotte, my Port Charlotte.
The water’s fine for skiing in the harbor.
The view is beautiful every night.
Port Charlotte, my Port Charlotte.  
Charlotte waters are sparkling blue.
Charlotte Harbor, how I love you.
 
Just miles from the town of Sarasota,
With Tampa and Skyway Bridge above.
Port Charlotte, my Port Charlotte.
Then south of us is Naples and Miami.
If you’re up north I send you my love.
Port Charlotte, my Port Charlotte.
 
If you’re up north I send you my love.

Everything and everybody was Jack’s inspiration. One of his most interesting single records recounts his sighting of a UFO while a boy fishing in Canada. The song titles are “Toronto Connection” on one side and “What Will The Answer Be?” on the other.

Jack helped his mother and father operate the family motel in Toronto; but in the slack, winter seasons of the 1950s he began vacationing at Punta Gorda where country music was popular.

His parents then came here also in the winter to be near him. Later, they bought the first mobile home in Charlotte Park, a county subdivision surrounded by Punta Gorda.

Jack married Miss Jeanette Pollard, and they operated the family motel for awhile but moved to Punta Gorda -- feeling there was more opportunity in Florida for a country music career.

His first venture was the purchase of a former gasoline station at the corner of Marion and Nesbit streets that had been converted to the Trailer Bar -- so named for its proximity to the municipal trailer grounds near by. Jack turned the little bar into a recording studio. After he died of Lou Gehrig’s disease in 1982 at age 48, the little building became the Irish Pub.

In 1965, he bought a house that had been vacated to clear the site for today’s Barnett Bank. The building was moved to East Marion Street near the hospital. Jack and Jeanette had two sons, Norman born in Canada and Paul born in Punta Gorda.

It was apparent that selling music and making records was not going to be as profitable as he had hoped.

Jack saw other opportunities everywhere. When a large development of homes got underway on State Route 74 “out in the boonies,” he outfitted a panel truck to carry sandwiches, packaged pastries, coffee and soft drinks to the workmen. This innovation was a great success -- the forerunner of today’s many “sandwich wagons.”

He gave pony rides at festivals, taught guitar in his home and opened the Lucky Letterman sign shop to stretch out his earnings.

Ever resourceful, Jack opened a used-furniture store in Punta Gorda, a meat market in Port Charlotte, and another meat market in North Port.

When skate boards were introduced, he opened a skateboard shop and wrote two songs about the new craze -- “Happy Skateboard Song” and “Gonna Skateboard.”

Jack noticed during his lunch trips to construction sites that removal of building debris was a problem for contractors. To meet this need, he bought a dump truck and started a site clean-up service.

The Tampa Coal and Stone Company the following year was looking for a distributor in Charlotte County. Jack was recommended as an enterprising man with a dump truck. Terms were quickly agreed to. The Punta Gorda Isles and General Development Company were booming. The Butwell Stone and Soil Company shared in the boom.

Despite his many business ventures, Jack never gave up his music career.

At first, Jack called his trio the Rhinestones, but as he gained recognition he changed it to the Butwell Trio. He wrote more than 100 songs, 70 of which he recorded and produced as 45 rpm discs under the Southwest Productions label. His slogan was, “Jack Writes ‘Em, Jack Sings ‘Em.”

His repertoire included the usual provocative titles of country songs such as: “Too Late To Cry,” “Do You As A Woman Think It’s Right,” “Tired Hands, Weary Mind,” and “Is It Me Or Is It Him?”

The Butwell Trio was in great demand for country-style dances. Back-up singer on one record was Martha, daughter of Mattie Mae Hughes, a prominent rancher here.

Jack’s untimely death cut short his singing career after Counterpart Music recorded his first 33.3 rpm album. His friends described him as “always cheerful.” His favorite song was an upbeat piece titled “Good Morning America.”

Today, Norman and Paul Butwell carry on the family stone and soil business where they give one of their father’s old 45 rpm records with every new order. Who knows? Some one may discover the local character of Jack’s songs and re-record them on tape for a unique musical legacy. Florida certainly needs an official, state waltz.

By Lindsey Williams, columnist for Sun Coast Media Group newspapers

cutline l -- three musicians

Photos courtesy of the Butwell family

Jack Butwell, center, and his country music trio at the height of their popularity.

cutline 2 -- house and palms

The Butwell family poses in front of their refurbished home, above, on East Marion Ave. It originally was located at the site of today’s Barnett Bank building on Nesbit St.