Butch Thomas was born on October 27, 1959, in St. Louis, Missouri, to Edith and Leland Thomas. He is a professional saxophonist, recording and touring artist, and music educator with over forty years of experience in the music industry. He became the first graduate of the Jazz Studies program at Webster University in 1983 and later earned a master’s degree in music education from the University of South Florida in 2021.

Throughout his career, he has performed, recorded, and toured with prominent artists including Sting, Jaco Pastorius, Lenny Kravitz, Aretha Franklin, Al Green, Elton John, and Diana Ross.