Butch Eversole

Raleigh E. “Butch” Eversole, IV currently teaches saxophone and music education courses at Colorado State University-Pueblo. He is the conductor of the Little London Winds, a semi-professional wind ensemble. Butch recently retired after 29 years of public school teaching in Colorado.  He served as a member of the inaugural faculty and the Core Planning Team for Palmer Ridge High School, where he was the Academic Chair for the Performing Arts and Director of Bands from 2008-2023. Prior to his position at Palmer Ridge High School, Butch taught at Lewis-Palmer High School, Manitou Springs High School and Manitou Springs Middle School. He has also taught saxophone at Colorado College, served as a graduate teaching assistant in jazz studies at the University of Northern Colorado, and has conducted at the LeBam International Summer Band Camp in Beirut, Lebanon. His groups performed seven times at the CMEA Conference and four times at the Music for All National Festival. While at Palmer Ridge, his students earned 185 selections to the Colorado All State Band. Butch holds a Bachelor of Arts in music education from Shepherd University in West Virginia and a Master of Music in saxophone performance from the University of Northern Colorado. 

Butch remains active as a saxophonist, performing regularly with the Springs Contemporary Jazz Big Band, the Academy Jazz Ensemble, and the pop-rock horn combo Pourly Edukated.  Other free-lance opportunities have included appearances with such diverse artists as the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, the Chamber Orchestra of the Springs, the Temptations, Dan Akroyd, and Trisha Yearwood. 

Butch is Past-President of the Colorado Music Educators Association (CMEA).  He has also served as the Chair of the CMEA Instrumental Council and as the Southern Region Representative to the Colorado Bandmasters Association.  Other professional memberships include Phi Beta Mu and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. Mr. Eversole was the 2010 Colorado designee in School Band and Orchestra magazine’s “50 Directors Who Make a Difference,” was named the 2012 “Distinguished Arts Teacher” by the Pikes Peak Arts Council, and was the 2020 recipient of the Phi Beta Mu, Kappa Chapter “Outstanding Bandmaster” award.  He resides in Monument with his wife, Cynthia (also a music educator and current CMEA President).  In his spare time, he enjoys ice-fishing at his estate in Hawaii.