Originally a member of the Richmond band Secrets with Carter Beauford and college friend LeRoi Moore, Butch Taylor was asked to join DMB in 1990. After turning down that offer, he joined Tanya Tucker's band a few years later.
When DMB wanted a keyboardist for a few tracks on
Before These Crowded Streets, they brought in their old friend Butch, who also guested at a handful of shows with the band in 1998 and 1999. He then toured with the band for most of the summer 2000 tour but was absent for that year's fall tour and for the beginning of 2001's summer tour. After the release of
Everyday, however, it was apparent that the new songs needed a fuller live sound, so Butch was brought back into the lineup beginning on
5.18.01. By the end of the 2001 tour, Butch was an "unofficial member" of the band, playing on nearly every song. From
5.18.01 to
4.1.08, Butch played every DMB show; however, he decided to stop touring with the band shortly before the 2008 summer tour began. Most recently, when the band decided to play
a single show in 2017 to benefit its hometown of Charlottesville, Butch made a guest appearance after a nine-and-a-half–year absence.