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Bill Butler (skater)

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Bill Butler, also known as Mr. Charisma, is a roller skater credited with the invention of jam skating.

The New York Times and The City Reliquary have referred to Butler as "the Godfather of Roller Disco".

The National Museum of Roller Skating referred to Butler as "an original influencer" in jam skating, stating that "Butler’s iconic moves and styles inspired many of the popular moves and styles of today".

Life

Butler is from Detroit, Michigan and skated at the Arcadia Rink.

He is credited with introducing and popularizing the roller skating dance styles of jamming known as "roller rocking" and "Brooklyn Bounce" at Empire Roller Rink in the late 1950s to the 1980s.

In the 1960s, Empire attendee Mr. Charisma created a new style of roller skating he called jammin'. Skater Gloria McCarthy, whose father owned the rink, started a "Bounce" night to showcase Charisma's new style.

By 1979, Mr. Charisma's "stylish tricks...made the a HOT destination" [sic], as it "drew storied celebrities away from the snooty uptown clubs (Studio 54) down to the warm & accepting Brooklyn Rink". The most notable celebrity guest was Cher, who hosted Billboard's Disco Forum skate party at the Empire Roller Disco that year. Others included Prince, Grace Jones, Madonna, and Olivia Newton-John.

Butler was the creative director for the 2006 film Roll Bounce, having "had control over all aspects of skating in the film".

References

  1. ^ "Undiscarded: Stories of New York: Ep7 – Rollerskate". The City Reliquary. 2023-05-17. Archived from the original on January 3, 2025. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  2. ^ Carmel, Julia (December 30, 2020). "Meet Bill Butler, the Godfather of Roller Disco". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
  3. ^ "Jam Skating | Your Audio Tour". youraudiotour.com. Archived from the original on December 4, 2024. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  4. Carmel, Julia (December 30, 2020). "Meet Bill Butler, the Godfather of Roller Disco". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
  5. Reaven, M., Zeitlin, S. (2006). Hidden New York: A Guide to Places That Matter. Rutgers University Press, 114.
  6. Saraniero, Nicole (May 19, 2023). "The Legacy of NYC's Empire Roller Rink". Untapped New York. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
  7. Thomas, Andy (December 9, 2020). "How NYC's '70s roller-discos rivaled established clubs". wax-poetics. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
  8. "Undiscarded: Stories of New York: Ep7 – Rollerskate". The City Reliquary. 2023-05-17. Archived from the original on January 3, 2025. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  9. ^ "Undiscarded: Stories of New York: Ep7 – Rollerskate". The City Reliquary. 2023-05-17. Archived from the original on January 3, 2025. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  10. Bego, Mark (2001). Cher: If You Believe. Taylor Trade Publishing. ISBN 9780815411536.
  11. What's Hot! What's Not!. Cue: The Weekly Magazine of New York Life. Cue Publishing Company. 1979. p. 19. Cher held a party here recently . The crowd is mostly black and flashy . The music is heated . There are neon palm trees , mirrored balls , loud sounds , and hordes of street people having fun . It is not as snazzy as the Roll - A - Palace, but it's funky.
  12. Reaven, M., Zeitlin, S. (2006). Hidden New York: A Guide to Places That Matter. Rutgers University Press, 114.
  13. Ortiz, Lori. (2011) Disco Dance. ABC-CLIO, 127.