‘Spotting talent’ - Butch Stone was manager for bands such as Black Oak Arkansas, Ruby Starr and Krokus

Butch Stone, left, is pictured with close friend and founding member of Pink Floyd, Roger Waters. After suffering a couple of serious accidents while a child, Stone believed he would someday become a doctor. Instead, he discovered a penchant and interest for managing and promoting bands. Eventually, he became the manager of groups such as Black Oak Arkansas and Krokus before establishing himself as a successful music promoter in Little Rock. Courtesy of Butch Stone

As a child, Butch Stone was involved in accidents that resulted in significant injury. While recovering, he believed he was destined to someday become a doctor. However, through an odd series of events that revealed an innate talent for promoting and managing musical acts, he embarked upon a career in the music industry and has managed the popular bands Black Oak Arkansas and Krokus.

Born in the spring of 1946, Stone and his older brother were raised in the community of West Memphis, Arkansas. His mother worked for W.T. Grant, which once operated a chain of variety stores, while his father was a police officer in West Memphis.

“When I was only four years old, I spent nine months in the hospital after I was seriously injured when a car ran over me,” he recalled. “Sometime later, my brother and I were crossing the road while chasing a snake and I was again hit by a car. That time, I spent six months in the hospital recuperating.” 

​He continued, “That taught me to be strong and patient and to never give up. My family told me that I was going to be a doctor someday and they believed that was my life’s mission.”

Doing well in his studies, Stone graduated from high school in 1964 and earned scholarships to attend Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. During the little more than two years he attended university, he discovered the power music had to move people and the money that could be made promoting it.

“As fate would have it, I started managing a band and having dances at a hotel in Jonesboro that I rented every other weekend or so,” he shared. “Soon, we had between 200 to 400 people showing up for the dances and that intrigued me about the influence and potential of the music business.”

In the interim, Stone also continued to refine another talent within pool halls and bars—hustling pool. There were times, he recalled, when he made $200 for a dance but by the end of the week could win $1,500 playing pool.  Stone continued to learn more about managing and promoting bands over the next several months such as the group Nobody Else. Recognizing the charismatic nature of their lead singer, James Mangrum (known by the stage name “Jim Dandy”), Stone was eventually connected to Frank Barsalona, owner of Premier Talent.

Barsalona was widely known for his work in booking major musical talent and had an impressive roster of artists including acts like Van Halen, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Fleetwood Mac, Bon Jovi and Peter Frampton. After his first meeting with Barsalona, Stone recalls that they became good friends and he decided to leave his collegiate studies for a career in the music business. Barsalona, he added, was a mentor to him and convinced Stone that the band he was managing, Nobody Else, should change their name to Black Oak Arkansas.

“It took me a little while to realize that music was a better course of action,” he said. “It was an epiphany that I recognized and that’s what separates a lot of people from those who don’t acknowledge the opportunities they’ve been given.”

Through Barsalona’s mentorship and his own dedication to succeed, Stone   cut a path in the music industry for Black Oak Arkansas by securing a contract with Atlantic Records in 1970. Stone managed the band for about nine years before making the decision to cut his management ties because of self-destructive internal behaviors consuming the group.

“Frank Barsalona was a genius with a legendary clientele list,” Stone said. “He educated me, protected me and even became the godfather to my daughter.”
         
Ruby Starr was a talented rock singer who was invited to perform with Black Oak Arkansas during the height of their stardom. In the mid-1970s, Stone helped coordinate a recording contract with Capitol Records for her group, Ruby Starr and & Grey Ghost.  He also managed the group Starfighters, which he helped sign to A&M Records.
         
“Starfighters was one of those bands that imploded, too,” he said. “Many of these groups had the lifespan of a housefly. In this industry, egos get involved and it becomes and internal competition leading to conflict.”
         
Other talent he assisted throughout the years but did not manage include the band Cheap Trick and Jimi Jamison, the latter of whom became lead singer for Survivor. Connections he made with Clive Davis, founder of Arista, later led to an offer for Stone to manage the Swiss hard rock group Krokus. Following a meeting with the band members in their native Switzerland, he decided to be their manager and enjoyed “a good run with the group,” spanning nearly ten years.
         
Stone explained, “I eventually got an exclusive promotional deal with the city of Little Rock (Arkansas) and brought all kinds of major acts to the amphitheater. We controlled the food and beverage industry as part of that arrangement as well,” he added.
         
The tempo of the years soon caught up with him and Stone reached the point where he was ready for a break. The father of four children, in addition to several grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Stone now enjoys living the relatively quiet life in his native Arkansas.
         
“I was always good at spotting talent and recognizing if they could sing … not just have a good voice but a voice that was distinctive and could move people,” he said. “But if I were going to give advice to someone these days trying to make it in the music industry, it would be to get intimately familiar with the internet.”
         
He added, “It’s no longer about the manager’s relationship with the record company executives but rather how many views or hits someone has online. The record companies look to see who is making a major online footprint and if you reach a certain point, you have their attention.”

Jeremy P. Ämick is author of the biography of the rock bands Missouri, Shooting Star and Head East.   

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Throughout his career as a manager and promoter, Stone, left, made connections with many legends in the music industry including Ringo Starr. Courtesy of Butch Stone