Jerry Butler's career spans four decades; he recorded more than 50 albums
and his voice is one of the most distinguished voices in all of music. As
soulful as ever, yet
smooth as ice, his nickname "The Ice Man" epitomizes his demeanor -- and sound.
In spite of his status as a true music icon, he remains humble.
Jerry Butler moved from Sunflower, MS, to Chicago, IL, at the age of three during
the mass migration of blacks from the South to the North. (He grew up in an area
which is now known as the Cabrini-Green Housing Projects.)
Jerry Butler acquired his initial music lessons as a young boy while a member of
the church choir in Chicago.
Curtis Mayfield, who was three years younger, was also a member of the same
choir. The two befriended each other and began a collaboration that would have
an everlasting impact on music. The twosome joined up with brothers
Arthur and
Richard Brooks and
Sam Gooden to form the R&B group
the Roosters. In fact, the
Brooks brothers,
Gooden, and a female had migrated to Chicago from Tennessee, and were called
the Roosters & a Chick. But when
Jerry Butler and
Mayfield joined them, the group became simply
the Roosters. In 1957, the quintet's name was changed to
Jerry Butler & the Impressions.
Jerry Butler scored his first hit with
the Impressions in 1958 with the timeless ballad "For Your Precious Love."
(He'd written the lyrics to the song when he was just 16.)
That same year
Jerry Butler and
the Impressions cordially split, and
Jerry Butler began his solo career. He released his first single, "Lost," on the
Abner label. It peaked at number 17 on the Billboard R&B charts. Jumping over to
Vee-Jay in late 1960 where his career blossomed,
Jerry Butler had his first hit as a solo artist with "He Will Break Your Heart."
The single popped to the top of the charts at number one and stayed there for
seven consecutive weeks. In 1961,
Jerry Butler bounced back with two Top Ten singles: "Find Another Girl" and "I'm a
Telling You." In 1967, he signed with Mercury and teamed up with the production
duo of
Kenny Gamble and
Leon Huff. His work with these two master producers and songwriters resulted
in some classic recordings, including the outstanding album The Ice Man Cometh.
The album featured one superb track after another, including two number-one
singles ("Hey, Western Union Man," "Only the Strong Survive") and two Top Ten
singles ("Never Give You Up," "Are You Happy"). Always known for being a
crooner, "Hey, Western Union Man" revealed to many that
Jerry Butler was more than capable of singing up-tempo songs.
In 1971,
Gamble and
Huff formed their own label and subsequently
Jerry Butler formed a creative workshop to help provide material for his
forthcoming albums. Material that did not make his albums, he marketed to other
artists. In the spring of 1971,
Jerry Butler hit the Top Ten with the number-eight single "If It's Real What I
Feel," which was written by
Chuck Jackson (the younger brother of
Rev. Jesse Jackson).
Jerry Butler continued his hit-making tradition with "Ain't Understanding Mellow,"
a classic soul-ballad duet with
Brenda Lee Eager that peaked at number three on the Billboard R&B charts.
Jerry Butler scored a number-six single with
Eager with a remake of
the Carpenters' "(They Long to Be) Close to You" and a solo hit with a
remake of
the O'Jays' "One Night Affair," which was also his last song to crack the
Top Ten.
Never one to categorize singers because he believes that a singer is a singer
-- not based on genre, but on a person's mere ability to sing -- Butler himself
covered several styles of music during his lengthy music career. He had many
highs in his career; ranging from sharing the spotlight with such greats as
Aretha Franklin to being the chairman of the board for the Rhythm and Blues
Foundation (a non-profit organization).
Jerry Butler also became a force in another field: politics. In the mid-'80s, he
was a significant campaign supporter of Chicago's first black mayor Harold
Washington. A short time later,
Jerry Butler himself became the Cook County (IL) Commissioner and by the late '90s
he was a Chicago City Alderman. When the great
Jerry Butler is not lobbying for his constituents, he can be found on-stage
giving one of his spine-chilling performances with Ice Man-cool delivery. ~
Craig Lytle, All Music Guide
Contact Grabow for more information or to book
Jerry Butler for your next corporate or private event.
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