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Hillous Butrum (April 21, 1928 - April 27, 2002), born in rural Lafayette, Tennessee, began his music career at the young age of 16. Butrum found his way to Nashville and landed a job at WSM Radio and eventually wound up a staff musician at the Grand Ole Opry. From there, he joined Hank Williams' legendary band The Drifting Cowboys. After the passing of Williams, Butrum joined Hank Snow's band and later, he played on many Marty Robbins sessions. Butrum produced many early Country Music documentaries including "Music City USA". He was a pioneer of the music video long before its birth in the 1980s. Butrum passed away in his Nashville home about two weeks after the death of his wife. Butrum's funeral was held in Goodletsville, Tennessee. Notable music industry figures in attendance included Hal Bynum, Merle Kilgore, Bobby Tomberlin, Robbie Wittkowski, Tim Jones, and Don Helms.
The day before Butrum's death, he agreed to an exclusive interview with Country Music Source magazine detailing his long and inspiring music career. The interview was scheduled for April 29, 2002. In lieu of the interview, Country Music Source printed a memorium for Butrum.
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