Guy Buttery

Guy Buttery (born 26 November 1983) is a South African musician primarily known as a guitar player.

Cited as "one of South Africa's most influential artists over the past decade" by The Sunday Independent, Buttery's distinctive acoustic style is influenced by traditional South African culture, music and instrumentation. In live performances, Guy also uses an EBow and a looper to create "synth-like textures". He is influenced by artists such as Michael Hedges, Steve Newman, Madala Kunene, Tony Cox, Tananas, Led Zeppelin, Mark Kozelek and Ralph Towner. Jethro Tull, winner and founder of Windham Hill Records, At the age of 18, Guy Buttery's debut album was nominated for 'Best Newcomer' and 'Best Instrumental' at the South African Music Awards (SAMA's) making him the youngest nominee in the history of the event. Guy has since gone on to collect four SAMA's in 2010, 2014 and in 2026. He has also received numerous other major accolades including The Ovation Award for his live performances at the National Arts Festival, and has been honoured with more of these prestigious awards than any other musician.

In 2018, Guy received the highest accolade for a musician in South Africa and was awarded the Standard Bank Young Artist Award. In almost 4 decades of honouring artists throughout the country, this was the first time since its inception that the award was presented to a musician outside of the classical realm. The following year, Guy toured across 5 continents and released a collaborative album, titled "Nāḍī", with Indian born sitar player and vocalist, Kanada Narahari. The album was voted a "Top of the World" release by leading World Music publication Songlines.

Guy has since been invited to perform his works with the 52-piece KZN Philharmonic Orchestra dubbed "Africa's greatest ensemble" with his solo performance voted "Top Live Show" by The Cape Times and was selected by the public as one of South Africa's Top Young Personalities by The Mail & Guardian.

With tours cancelled all around the world due to COVID-19, Buttery went into "studio mode" and released 5 albums in 2020. These releases consisted mostly of archival projects including two live releases (one with Derek Gripper and another with Nibs van der Spuy), a collaborative EP with marimba band and horn section The Bandura Express Marimba Ensemble, a demos release featuring outtakes and unreleased recordings surrounding Guy's 2016 self-titled album and a remix album titled "Sonokota EP" featuring producers from Wales, Berlin, Maputo, Cape Town and New York.

In 2021 Buttery released yet another collaborative album, this time with traditional Indian classical musicians Mohd. Amjad Khan (tabla) and Mudassir Khan (sarangi). Recorded in a singular session in India in a largely improvised setting, "One Morning in Gurgaon" continues Guy's love affair with the music of the subcontinent. The record received critical acclaim landing up on numerous album of the year lists including NPR, New Sounds and PopMatters and also charted in the World Music Charts Europe. The record was then picked up in Japan for a vinyl release in a curated album series by Qrates.

2025 saw Buttery's long standing orchestral project finally released in the form of the studio album "Orchestrations". Despite the record coming close to never seeing the light of day at all, the project took over 12 years to complete and has been described as something of a "magnum opus". With Buttery's own guitar at the centre of the work, "Orchestrations" was crafted over many years with orchestral arranger Chris Letcher. Recorded across ten countries, the album features collaborative contributions from several renowned artists including Kaki King, Madala Kunene, Derek Gripper, Louis Mhlanga, Julian Sartorius, Mudassir Khan and Pino Forastiere. The album went on to win two South Africa Music Awards (in the Best Instrumental and Best Engineer categories) as well as being nominated by the public for Album of the Year.

Discography When I Grow Up... (2002) Songs from the Cane Fields (2005) Fox Hill Lane (2009) To Disappear in Place (2011) In the Shade of the Wild Fig with Nibs van der Spuy (2012) Live in KwaZulu (2013) Guy Buttery (2016) Khaya Records 7" Series Vol. III [with Madala Kunene] (2017) Nāḍī [with Kanada Narahari] (2019) Stam / The Tree [film score] (2020) Live in Cape Town [with Derek Gripper] (2020) Guy Buttery & The Bandura Express Marimba Ensemble [with Bandura] (2020) The Farm Demos (2020) Live in Lisbon [with Nibs van der Spuy] (2020) Sonokota EP [with Kanada Narahari] (2020) Live from Another Time - A Concert Film [featuring Kaki King (2021) One Morning in Gurgaon [with Mohd. Amjad Khan & Mudassir Khan] (2021) Live in Dlinza Forest - A Concert Film [with Nibs van der Spuy] (2021) In The Shadow of the Wild Fig - single [with Julian Redpath] (2022) '56 — Live in Cape Town - single [with Derek Gripper] (2023) Konko Man Version2 - Live at Westville Theatre Club - single [with Madala Kunene] (2023) Two Chords and The Truth (Orchestrations) - single [with Mudassir Khan] (2024) Orchestrations (2025) Live at The White House - cassette only release [with Derek Gripper] (2025) Songs from the Cane Fields (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) (2025) December Poems (Live In Its Orchestral Form) - single [with The KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra] (2026)

Awards and nominations

2003 SAMA 'Best Instrumental' and 'Best Newcomer' Award Nominations for "When I Grow Up..." 2006 SAMA 'Best Instrumental Album' Nomination for "Songs from the Cane Fields" 2010 SAMA 'Best Instrumental Album' Award Winner for "Fox Hill Lane" 2010 Ovation Award - 'Gold' for Best Music at the National Arts Festival 2012 SAMA 'Best Instrumental Album' Nomination for "To Disappear in Place" 2012 SAMA 'Best Instrumental Album' Nomination for "In The Shade of the Wild Fig" 2012 Mail & Guardian Top Young South African - Voted by the public 2014 Ovation Award - 'Silver' for Best Music at the National Arts Festival 2014 SAMA 'Best Classical and/or Instrumental Album' Award Winner for "Live in KwaZulu" 2016 SAMA 'Best Instrumental Album' Nomination for "Guy Buttery" 2018 Standard Bank Young Artist Award for 'Music' (South Africa's highest accolade for the Arts) 2020 Songlines Magazine Voted "Nāḍī" a "Top of the World" release 2021 SAMA 'Best Instrumental Album' Nomination for "Live in Lisbon" 2021 SAMA 'Best Instrumental Album' Nomination for "Live in Cape Town" 2022 World Music Charts Europe charted at #10 for "One Morning in Gurgaon" 2025 Songlines Magazine Voted "Orchestrations" a "Top of the World" release 2026 SAMA 'Best Instrumental Album' Award Winner for "Orchestrations" 2026 SAMA 'Best Engineered Album' Award Winner for "Orchestrations" 2026 SAMA 'Album of the Year' Nomination for "Orchestrations"

Guest features and compilation appearances

Nibs van der Spuy — Flower in the Rain (2002) — mandolin Vusi Mahlasela (with Dave Matthews) — Guiding Star (Naledi Ya Tsela) (2006) — guitar, mandolin Nibs van der Spuy — Beautiful Feet (2006) — guitar, sitar, mandolin Cabins in the Forest — Spells for Bribes (2008) — sitar, saw Luke Siedle — Our Stories (2008) — co-producer, mandolin, guitar Nibs van der Spuy — A Bird in the Hand (2008) — mandolin, sitar Julian Redpath — Shipwrecks EP (2009) — ebow, saw Farryl Purkiss — Fruitbats & Crows (2009) — guitar Dan Patlansky — Move My Soul (2009) — sitar, guitar, claps Eland Gray — Contraption Distoria (2010) — ebow, guitar Nibs van der Spuy — A House Across the River (2010) — sitar Versions of Joanna — Joanna Newsom Tribute Album — Compilation (2010) — guitar, loops, ebow Lilo — Lossless (2010) — ebow, saw Andrew James & The Steady Tiger — Red in Tooth and Claw (2011) — guitar, mandolin, engineer Home Grown Music — Vol. 1 — Compilation (2011) — koto, monochord South African Music Awards — Vol. 1 — Compilation (2011) — guitar Eland Gray — Midnight Atlas (2012) — mbira Nibs van der Spuy — Crossing Borders, Driving North — Compilation (2013) — mandolin, guitar, sitar Hinds Brothers — Ocean of Milk (2013) — sitar, tanpura Eland Gray — My Memory's Death (2013) — sitar Madala Kunene — 1959 (2015) — guitar, sitar, saw Seb Goldswain — Pictures of a Thousand Words (2015) — engineer Julian Redpath — Maiden Moonlight (2015) — co-producer, engineer, saw, synth-guitar Splashy Fen — 25 — Compilation (2015) — mbira Nibs van der Spuy — Natalia (2016) — guitar Madala Kunene — Khaya Records 7" Series Vol. III (2017) — producer, engineer, guitar Daniel Basckin — Archive (2017) — co-producer, sitar Kanada Narahari — Vistar (2018) — producer, engineer Cape Town Folk 'n Acoustic Music Festival — Live at Kirstenbosch — DVD Compilation (2018) — mbira, guitar La Vache — Toi Matelot EP (2019) — sitar Songlines — Top Of The World 155 — Compilation (2020) — guitar, tanpura Nibs van der Spuy — A Circle of Swallows — Compilation (2020) — mandolin, guitar, sitar James Yorkston — other folk, remixed (2020) — electric guitar Madala Kunene — Forest Jam Vol. III (2020) — guitar Aidan Martin — Just Like Water (2020) — guitar Radiant Tribe — The Heart Sutra (2020) — ebow Shane Cooper — Small Songs For Big Times Vol.2 (2020) — swarmandal, tanpura, passerelle guitar Innisfree — Empire Unbecoming (2020) — swarmandal The Rough Guide To Spiritual India — Compilation (2022) — guitar, tanpura Nibs van der Spuy — Maiden of the River (2022) — swarmandal, sitar, engineer Moodship — Relics (2023) — sitar Wren Hinds — Don't Die In The Bundu (2023) — swarmandal, shakuhachi Piers Faccini — Songs I Love Volume II (2023) — acoustic guitar Madala Kunene — Remixes 2023 Reel One (2023) — acoustic guitar Derek Gripper — Lost Time: Bach's First Cello Suite (2024) — tanpura Jonno Sweetman — Otherside (2024) — acoustic guitar, ebow Shajara Ensemble — Shajara (2024) — ebow Lucy Kruger & The Lost Boys — A Human Home (2024) — guitar, ebow, frame drum, shakuhachi, tanpura Derek Gripper — Everyday Things: Bach's Second Cello Suite (2024) — tanpura Songlines — Top Of The World 206 — Compilation (2025) — sitar, tanpura Moodship — What I Couldn't Carry (2025) — swarmandal, drones Innisfree — A View (2026) — sitar, engineer Innisfree — Wherever You Go, You See Them (2026) — guitar, sitar, engineer