[1] His elder brother, Jerry, was also a singer and songwriter for whose band Billy played the guitar.
Billy Butler formed the vocal group the Enchanters while at high school.
On early recordings he was backed by the Chanters, a renamed version of the Enchanters; other members were Errol Batts and Jesse Tillman.
[2] "The Right Track" is placed at number 11 in the Northern Soul Top 500[4] He later formed a new group, Infinity, with Batts, Larry Wade and Phyllis Knox.
[2][5] He also wrote songs for his brother, as well as for such musicians as Major Lance and Gene Chandler.