Norbert Leo Butz credits his children as the inspiration behind much of his songwriting, but his latest album, “King of Hearts,” goes beyond that.
“The record is sort of a conversation between a dad and a daughter,” Butz said on St. Louis on the Air. The song “Mission Bell” was written to his eldest daughter, Clara Virginia Davis, 26, during the pandemic when his family lived under the same roof for the first time in years.
“The song is about some of the travails that we as parents go through when we have to sort of cut the apron strings from our kids, and let them make their own mistakes in life and let them follow their own path,” Butz said. “The ‘mission bell’ represents that you can always come back home when you need me, like the old mission bell churches in Southwest desert and Southwestern cultures.”
Butz’s fourth album, “King of Hearts,” also features a cover of Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5,” a slower-tempo version that highlights the lyrics “as a protest song for labor.”
Butz is back in his hometown of St. Louis for a concert Friday night at the Sheldon. He’s expecting a crowd to include his own family members. The graduate of Bishop DuBourg High School and Webster University is the seventh of 11 siblings.
For Butz, writing and performing music is a side gig. Although on strike since June as a member of SAG-AFTRA, Butz has a lengthy list of Broadway, TV and film credits. He won the Tony Award for best actor in a musical for his performances in “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” and “Catch Me If You Can.”
While in town, Butz is taking in quintessential St. Louis attractions. He’s already visited Ted Drewes twice and hopes to catch a Cardinals game this weekend.
Listen to Norbert Leo Butz talk about how the album came together — and about his typewritten note from actor Tom Hanks about Butz’s Broadway portrayal of Carl Hanratty in “Catch Me If You Can.” Hear St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcast, Spotify or Google Podcast by clicking the play button below.
Related Event
What: Norbert Leo Butz “King of Hearts” album release
When: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 29
Where: The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Ave., St. Louis, MO 63108
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Ulaa Kuziez is our production intern. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr. Send questions and comments about this story to talk@stlpr.org.
