He played in orchestras, including the American Symphony, on albums by Jackie Gleason until he became a full time member at the Radio City Music Hall.
In the 1950s, Butterfield switched to jazz, backing such musicians as Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Sinatra, Charles Mingus, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Jimmy Smith, and Moondog.
The Grove Dictionary of Music calls Butterfield's playing style, "uncommonly florid, a skill that made him of value as a jazz musician...
He was one of the first modern jazz players who, rather than simply marking out the bass line, rediscovered the possibility of bringing to the instrument a facility akin to that of a trumpeter."
With Cannonball Adderley With Nat Adderley With David Amram With Bob Brookmeyer With Kenny Burrell With Donald Byrd With Teddy Charles With Jimmy Cleveland With Bill Evans With Art Farmer With Maynard Ferguson With Dizzy Gillespie With Urbie Green With Jimmy Heath With Roland Kirk With John Lewis With Arif Mardin With Gil Mellé With Charles Mingus With the Modern Jazz Quartet With James Moody With Wes Montgomery With Lee Morgan With Oliver Nelson With Oscar Peterson With Sonny Rollins With Lalo Schifrin With Jimmy Smith With Billy Taylor With Clark Terry With The Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Orchestra With Cal Tjader With Stanley Turrentine