His music continues to traverse the globe, and Butler has performed on the world’s most iconic stages, from venues to festivals, including Fuji Rock, Glastonbury, Coachella, Red Rocks Amphitheatre and beyond, with his high energy live performances and revered musicianship connecting deeply with diverse audiences.

Never straying far from his foundations as a busker on the streets of Fremantle, Butler has maintained his indie core. A statue outside the Fremantle Markets is testament to his early successes whereby he sold 3500 self-funded cassettes, paving the way for the establishment of his own independent record label, Jarrah Records, which has released all Butler’s studio and live albums to date.

Throughout Butler’s illustrious musical journey, the accolades are abundant. In 2003, as the John Butler Trio, he released ‘Sunrise Over Sea’, the first independently released album to reach number one in Australia.

Four years later, the John Butler Trio released ‘Grand National’, an album which spent nine months in the ARIA Top 20 album charts and spawned the breakthrough hit ‘Better Than’, a song brimming with positivity and high vibes that catapulted to number one on the US Triple A radio charts.

In 2010, ‘April Uprising’ became the Trio’s third consecutive album to debut at number one on the national Australian ARIA album charts. An album inspired by Butler’s exploration into his European ancestry it featured single ‘Close To You’ - which took home the APRA award for Best Blues and Roots work that year – and was Butler’s first Top 100 selling album in the US, debuting at number 36 on the American Billboard Albums Chart. 

Underpinning Butler’s multiple studio album successes, it is his signature solo instrumental epic, ‘Ocean’, that has played a most significant role in the troubadour’s rise. Now cemented as a foundational song in every live show, this rousing ode showcases Butler’s virtuosity with an unparalleled intensity.

“‘Ocean’ is a very interesting aspect of my life,” Butler muses. “It is part of my DNA. It conveys all things I can't put into words: Life, loss, love, spirit. As I evolve so too does 'Ocean'.” 

First recorded as part of Butler’s busking cassette release, ‘Searching for Heritage’, ‘Ocean’ was then re-recorded for his first self-titled studio album, ‘John Butler’, released in 1998.

Butler recorded a special live version of ‘Ocean’ in his Fremantle studio, The Compound, in 2012. The YouTube video of this recording has since amassed more than 65 million views.

Scooping an ARIA award for Best Blues and Roots Album in 2014, ‘Flesh and Blood’ was the John Butler Trio’s sixth studio album and marked yet another shift in the make-up of Butler’s core band. From the uplifting joy of ‘Only One’ to the souful poeticism of ‘Spring To Come’, it was a significant milestone in Butler’s musical trajectory.

Butler’s 2018 album ‘HOME’ debuted at number one on the ARIA charts exploring new sonic territory and expansive instrumentation which both challenged, and accentuated, his alternative roots foundations.

In early 2024, Butler released ‘Running River’  - the First Season of his Four Season roll-out - an ambient album which invited listeners on a journey of deep relaxation, meditation and incredible musicianship.

Later that year he released an instrumental album ‘Still Searching’, a throwback to ‘Searching for Heritage’, the all-instrumental cassette he sold as he busked.  

Recorded in 2023 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, ‘Still Searching’ once again captures Butler’s ferocious guitar techniques, patterns and sheer musical voracity.

"I’m still exploring, still wandering and wondering,” Butler explains. “Still obsessed and ravenous for new tunings, techniques and textures. Still Searching.”

As 2025 barrels on, Butler announces the release of the Third Season: a solo record brimming with his classic groove-laden force, fierce guitars, robust percussion and meteoric choruses.

Recorded in Fremantle with uber producer James Ireland (POND, San Cisco), PRISM is overflowing with a full band sound, but it was in fact crafted by Butler and Ireland alone. Complete with frenzied rock tracks, soul-searing ballads and some deep-seated reflections on relationships, global politics and personal interrogations, it is testament to the sheer talent of this exceptional storyteller and shredder.

Marking a departure from the John Butler Trio moniker, PRISM celebrates Butler’s solo power as it juxtaposes wildness with tenderness, thrusting the listener into a full technicolour explosion of contemplation and funk-filled instrumentals. 

“For me, PRISM is a cathartic release, a celebration of going solo, moving away from the John Butler Trio moniker, and yet another sonic stretch as I continue to refine my musical journey,” Butler explains. “The title reflects the sonic and emotional “bandwidth” I wanted to explore: the whole spectrum of what it is to be human. Love, death, politics, inner and outer turmoil and redemption.”

Awash with honky tonk swagger, first single ‘Trippin On You’ dropped on April 8 with the full album incoming later this year.