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Eddie Butler

About

Quick Facts

Name
Eddie Butler

Born
02 October 1971

Nationality
🇮🇱 Israel

National Selection
Kdam Eurovision 2006
Internal selection 1999

In Eurovision
2006 Athens
1999 Jerusalem

Song
Together We Are One (2006)
Yom Huledet (Happy Birthday) (1999)

Biography

Eddie Butler is an Israeli singer born on October 2, 1971, in Dimona, Israel. He comes from a family of Black Hebrew Israelites who moved to Israel from Chicago. Eddie is one of 11 brothers and sisters. His Hebrew name is Etan, and he grew up in a tight-knit community that faced challenges, like being denied citizenship at first, because they were seen as a unique group. Over time, their community gained acceptance, partly through music.
 
Eddie started singing at age eight. In the 1990s, he performed with wedding bands and worked as a backing singer for Israeli artist Zehava Ben in 1992 during the Kdam-Eurovision, a national song contest. His big break came in 1999 when he joined the group Eden, which included his older brother Gabriel Butler, Rafael Dahan, and Doron Oren. They represented Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest in Jerusalem with the song “Happy Birthday” (Yom Huledet), finishing 5th with 93 points. The group broke up in 2001, and Eddie launched his solo career.
 
As a solo artist, Eddie performed across Europe, Russia, and the United States. In 2002, he won the Special Audience Prize at the New Wave music competition in JÅ«rmala, Latvia. He returned to Eurovision in 2006, representing Israel again, this time alone, with the song “Together We Are One” (also known as “Ze Hazman,” meaning “This Is The Time”). The song mixed Hebrew and English and had a gospel style, but it finished 23rd, earning just 4 points from France.
Eddie’s personal life also made headlines. He proposed to his wife, Orly Burg, on the Israeli TV show hosted by Dudu Topaz. He wrote a song for her called “At HaHalom” (You Are the Dream) during his long tours. To marry Orly in an Orthodox Jewish wedding, Eddie converted to traditional Judaism. He now lives in Tel Aviv and has been studying Judaism.
 
Eddie’s music and story helped his Black Hebrew Israelite community gain acceptance in Israel. By 2003, the community won permanent residency, and some members, including young people, joined the Israeli army. Eddie’s performances, like his Eurovision appearances, showed his pride in representing Israel and his community.

Entries

Together We Are One

Country
🇮🇱 Israel

Year
2006

Language
English
Hebrew

Lyrics
Orly Burg
Osnat Tsabag

Music
Eddie Butler

Backings
Elisabeth Young
Haia Rud
Ortal Ofek
Lillie Smart
Manor Shabat

Results Semi

Points: –
Position: –
Running order: –

Results Finals

Points: 4
Position: 23
Running order: 3

Yom Huledet (Happy Birthday) (Eden)

Country
🇮🇱 Israel

Year
1999

Language
English

Lyrics
Gabriel Butler
Jeki Oved
Jacob Lamai

Music
Moshe Datz
Jeki Oved
Jacob Lamai

Backings
Gilad Pearl (unverified)
Shai Shoshan (unverified)

Results Semi

Points: –
Position: –
Running order: –

Results Finals

Points: 93
Position: 5
Running order: 19