Butcher was born at
Papunya, Northern Territory in
Central Australia. His mother's side is from the south, the
Pitjantjatjara tribe and his father's side from the
Walpiri from
Pikilyi, near Yinjirrimardi area. He formed the
Warumpi Band with
George Burarrwanga,
Neil Murray and Gordon Butcher in the late 1970s. Butcher released a solo album
Desert Surf Guitar on
CAAMA music. The album's name was inspired by the sand hills surrounding Papunya, "you can imagine them as being huge red waves on the ocean" He was the subject of the documentary
Sammy Butcher, Out of the Shadows, part of the
Nganampa Anwernekenhe series. The documentary looks at his life after the Warumpi Band. He is renowned as one of the best
guitar players to come out of Central Australia. He now lives in
Papunya, west of
Alice Springs. The musical is semi-autobiographical and told from the perspective of Butcher and his two younger brothers Gordon and Brian Butcher, which differs from other versions which tend to focus on another founding member
Neil Murray. In the play Butcher is played by
Baykali Ganambarr. ==Awards==