"[4] Butler had six gold records, with his singles "Them There Eyes", "Down Yonder", "Oh, Looka There, Ain't She Pretty", "Be Anything (But Be Mine)", "Fit as a Fiddle" and "I Apologize".
[11][6] Monroe latterly worked as an oil lobbyist, and was married to the sister of Senator Randolph Collier, Sarah Isabel.
[1] He took a job at the parking lot of the Mocambo nightclub in West Hollywood, because many of his friends from high school were working there.
He parked cars for patrons such as Ava Gardner and Lana Turner, and made the rounds of radio studios during the day.
Agent Barbara Belle, who was Fran Warren's manager, heard about Butler, and visited the parking lot, where, whilst leaning against Clark Gable's Jaguar car, he sang a few bars.
Stars in the audience for his opening night included Barbara Stanwyck, Gertrude Niesen, Frankie Laine, José Ferrer and Lex Barker.
[23] This was followed by "Be My Love", on which he was backed by Les Brown's band; however, the song was more successful by other artists, with it becoming a hit for Mario Lanza.
Butler's next single, "I Apologize", a revival of a 1931 hit for Bing Crosby, made it into Billboard magazine's Records Most Played by Disc Jockeys chart in May 1951, peaking at No.
[1] In July 1951, Butler entered the Billboard Best Selling Pop Singles chart with another revival of a 1931 hit, "Them There Eyes", which had achieved success for Gus Arnheim.
[24][25] In September that year, Butler charted with a revival of an even older song, "Down Yonder", which had been a hit for Ernest Hare and Billy Jones in 1921.
[27] In May, "Be Anything (But Be Mine)", a new song on which Butler was backed by Percy Faith's orchestra, became another Billboard hit, peaking at No.
[1] In 1954, Universal International released a short film, Champ Butler Sings, directed by Will Cowan, in the form of a 15-minute musical featurette.
"[35] That year, Butler recorded the title theme to the United Artists Western film Mustang!, which was not released until 1959.
[37] Over the next four years, Butler briefly recorded for the Dot, Zephyr, Keen, Viscount, RRE and Five-Ten labels.
[1] In 1959, Butler starred in Pepsi-Cola's Diamond Lil Show at the newly opened Pleasure Island theme park in Wakefield, Massachusetts, playing the character of Ragtime Cowboy Joe.
In 1981, it was reported that he had resumed performing, and was singing in small clubs in San Fernando Valley and Palm Springs.
[42][43] His career took a different path in May 1983, with his appointment as public relations director and spokesman for Circle of Health Inc., a clinic which specialized in natural treatments without drugs.
[44] He also worked as general sales manager for the Sky Meadows Ranch in Cle Elum, Washington, where he lived.
All the things success brings–name up in lights, fans, money, expensive clothes, cars, house with a swimming pool, kidney-shaped, of course–'n' I blew it.
[5] Champ Butler died of natural causes at his home in Sky Meadows in Upper Kittitas County, Washington State on March 8, 1992, aged 65.