Buttons are King: a closer look at button legend Dalton Stevens

Having trouble sleeping?  Tired of those restless nights filled with hours of wakefulness?  Suffering from an uncomfortable mattress, too much caffeine or the old insomnia kicking in again?  Well why not take up a nice quiet hobby to pass the time while the rest of your household is sleeping peacefully?  This is exactly what local Button King legend, Dalton Stevens, did and it put Bishopville, SC on the map.

Dalton Stevens playing us a song

 After discovering the Chicken Man of Columbia, our search for local artists took Krista and me to Bishopville, South Carolina where we had heard word of a guitar playing entertainer who has ascended beyond the world of music into the realm of buttons.  A quick trip down I-20 to exit 108 brought us to the first signs pointing to our state’s very own button museum.  And who should the curator be but the Button King himself Dalton Stevens.    

Close-up of a button creation

Stevens is a down-home, local resident of Bishopville that can boast some pretty impressive talents which include the ability to play the guitar, banjo and mandolin.  He is also a professional piano tuner and local button expert.  In fact Stevens is personally responsible for all the pieces in the Button Museum.  Now keep in mind this is not a museum full of stuffy shelves and glass cases host to antique buttons but rather it is a gallery made to display all of Stevens amazing button clad creations. 

Button King's car

Stevens, long suffering insomniac, began this hobby as a way to pass the time on those evenings when he couldn’t sleep.  Since the TV networks signed off at 2:00 am in those days, and he was tired of counting sheep, Stevens decided one day that he might as well start sewing buttons.  He began with a pair of blue jeans that over time became an entire denim suit complete with jacket, hat and shoes all covered in the buttons that Stevens had attached.  But Stevens didn’t stop there; his sleepless nights have yielded at least six coats, some hats, at least one guitar, a car, a hearse, 2 caskets, a bathtub, outhouse, grandfather clock, several picture designs, loud speakers, and a piano all totally encased in buttons.  That’s right everything but the kitchen sink covered in every size, shape, and colored button imaginable, oh but wait he has one of those decorated too.

Button King's hearse

What may have started as humble beginnings with a simple pair of button clad britches became a craze that got both local and later national recognition.  Over the course of his lifetime the Button King has been on local news, and eTV specials.  Stevens has also been invited to such big name shows as Johnny Carson, Bill Cosby and Regis and Kathie Lee (just to name a few).  Written publications have also been kind to the Button King, with at least 27 books, magazines, and newspapers containing pieces on him; including The Guinness Book of World Records 2006.  He has even been asked by BMW to make them a button car but turned them down on the grounds that he had already done too cars and wanted to do something more interesting.

Button clad dash of the buttonmobile

For those of you who are ready to head down and get your very own piece of this button collection I have to say sorry because, like Indian Jones has pointed out time and again, “it belongs in a museum” specifically the Button Museum.  So head on down to 55 Joe Dority Rd, Bishopville, SC and visit Dalton Stevens at the museum that adjoins his house. 

Button casket

Better yet call ahead to the museum number at 803.428.3841 so you can meet the legend himself.  The museum is open to the public and is free of charge, donations are accepted.  Who knows if you catch him in the right mood you might even get your own personal solo, Krista and I were treated to great little tune called “Everybody’s waiting for something.”  You can also visit the Button King on his website http://scbuttonking.com/.

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp87IQxyZs0)

Until next time!
-Nathan