Classic dance music and Dixieland family group consisting of Hayden Butler (trombone), his son Bert Butler (clarinet, tenor sax), son Frank Butler (drums), nephew Walt Butler (alto and tenor sax), and Walt’s wife Barbara Butler (organ).
The group was a very popular dance band and was usually booked a year and a half in advance! They played all over Maryland including engagements at the Stardust, the Benedict Pier, and the Martha Washington in Southern Maryland. They were popular at Boumi Temple, American Legions, VFWs, and many country clubs.
In 1964 they recorded at Ralph Johnson’s studio in Essex and released a self-titled LP on the Fleet label.
The group continued playing until Hayden’s retirement in 1976.
Barbara continued to do solo work for the next ten years at fashion shows, midnight cruises, and supper clubs.
The Butler’s briefly re-formed the group in 1989. Frank, Bert, Walt, Barbara and her son Derek Butler (drums) performed together for about one year, after which Barbara went back to doing solo performances again.
In 1991 Barbara and Walt formed a new group called Package Deal playing ‘50s and ‘60s rock & roll. This group consisted of Barbara, Walt, Charles Fertig, and two brothers guitarist John Weidinger and drummer Mark Weidinger (John formerly of the Sentries, and Mark had played professionally with other rock groups).
Fertig was later replaced with Eli Carneal. In 1998 Mark was replaced with Lou Donnelly who played with the group for four years until his death in 1999. John Weidinger and Walt Butler both passed away in 2002.
Package Deal won the Anne Arundel County Fair Battle of the Bands in the early ‘90s. Through the years they opened for major stars including Jim Ed Brown. The group continued to be active with Barbara (keys), Butch Withrow (lead guitar), Jim Busse (bass), and Rick (drums), playing music of the ‘50s to ‘70s rock, classic, Top-40, country, oldies, etc. Venues included the Moose, American Legion, VFW, KofC, Clare’s Holy Name, Stoney Creek Democratic Club…
Fertig went on to play with the Package Deal, Cadillac Cruisers, Rich & the Roadrunners…
A re-formed Hayden Butler Band continued performing annually at the Dundalk Heritage Festival. A 2003 recording of the park concert is stored in the Dundalk historical archives.
1964(LP) Fleet 3101 The Hayden Butler Dance Band
