Dean "Deano" Butterworth (born September 26, 1976) is a professional drummer. He played for popular singer Morrissey and was announced as the official drummer for the band Good Charlotte in March 2007 after they lost their previous drummer, Chris Wilson in 2005. He is the oldest member of the band. He uses Tama Drums, Paiste Cymbals, Remo Heads and Vic Firth Drum Sticks Dean Butterworth was born on September 26th 1976 in Rochdale, Lancashire, England. He moved to America at age 6 and started learning to play the drums at age 13.
During the early years Dean focused on the intricacies of jazz and fusion drumming, but after experiencing the chameleon-like way in which Stewart Copeland of The Police switched fluidly from one style to another, often within the same song, he began to branch out into many different styles. His stepfather, Patrick Shanahan, was also an influence on his drumming, advising him to learn a wide variety of musical styles.
It is the versatility he gained back then which later allowed Dean to work with many different artists, including blues legend John Lee Hooker. In May 2005, after Good Charlotte lost their drummer due to drug problems, Dean was called in as a temporary replacement. In March 2007 he was announced as the permanent drummer for Good Charlotte. He performed on their 2007 album Good Morning Revival and received excellent reviews fir his drumming presence. Two months later, he played with Good Charlotte in Manchester, England for the first time and received a large "Deano" chant due to his status as "Hometown Hero" - Dean's hometown of Rochdale, is part of Greater Manchester. Between 1997 and 2001, Dean was one of "The Innocent Criminals", the band of Ben Harper.
During his time in the band he also sang, played the piano and guitar and wrote his own songs. One of the songs he co-wrote with Ben Harper is "She's Only Happy in the Sun" and can be found on the album "Diamonds on the Inside".
In 2002 Dean toured with Morrissey.
In 2003 Dean worked with surfer and musician Donavon Frankenreiter, on whose self-titled album he plays the drums and sings, with fellow ex-"Innocent Criminal" David Leach on percussion.
Later in 2004, Dean went on to tour once more with Morrissey.
Dean recently drummed for The Used on their lastes album Lies for the Liars after The Used's drummer was kicked out of the band.