* En anglais uniquement
One of the unsung heroes of 1970s soul/rock, Aalon Butler deserved to become as famous as
Sly & the Family Stone,
War,
Parliament/
Funkadelic or
the Isley Brothers. But sadly, the vast majority of R&B lovers are completely unfamiliar with the rock-flavored soul and funk that he recorded for Arista in the late 1970s. A native of Los Angeles, the singer, songwriter and guitarist played with
Eric Burdon (of
War and
the Animals fame) in the mid-'70s before forming his own band,
Aalon. Signing with Arista,
Aalon recorded its outstanding debut album,
Cream City, in 1977. The LP should have made Butler a superstar, and the fact is that if justice had prevailed, he would have become as big as
Prince or
Rick James would become. But
Cream City was far from a mega-hit. Although
Aalon continued to play around L.A. in the late 1970s, the band never recorded a second album. ~ Alex Henderson