In the late '50s and early '60s, Butler found tremendous success with the group The Impressions, and later launched an equally successful solo career. Jerry Butler has helped shape the sound of rhythm and blues for 50 years. JERRY BUTLER: (Singing) I remember my first love affair. Where: Anthology, 1337 India St.Unidentified Woman: (Singing) I remember. Jerry Butler will perform on Saturday and Sunday at Anthology in Little Italy. Jerry Butler can certainly count himself among them. He continues to perform, and has hosted the popular PBS music specials "Doo Wop 50" and "Doo Wop 51."īutler says one of his biggest hits, the 1968 tune “Only the Strong Survive” was, in part, an homage to all the musicians who kept on making music, keeping soul and rhythm and blues alive. Today, he is the longest serving member of the Cook County Board of Commissioners in Chicago. Butler says Redding jumped up and said, "I like that, let me take it back to Georgia and see if I can finish it." He adds, "Well, the next time I heard the song it was on Stax Records.īutler did get songwriting credits and to this day, insists Otis Redding was the right person to sing that song.īutler eventually went back to college and then went into politics. Butler goes on: "And that night after the concert, he and I got together with his old beat up guitar and sat in the hotel room talking about songs that we started and never could finish."īutler put in a cassette tape and sang "I’ve Been Loving You Too Long" for Redding. So cool, we’re gonna call you the Ice Man.'"īutler went on to record two successful albums using his nickname, "The Iceman Cometh" and "Ice on Ice." But he also wrote songs other musicians (Otis Redding, Elvis Presley) made famous.īutler and Otis Redding were both performing at a concert in Buffalo, NY. And when we finished it, the people jumped up outta their seats and hooped and hollered and George ran on stage and said. Butler tells the story: "While performing one night in Philadelphia, the sound system went down, and from my days in the church, we just kept on singing. In the early 60s, he was given a nickname by a DJ named Georgie Woods and it stuck. Just goes to show that as time goes by, things do indeed change."īutler’s smooth voice, classic singing style, and sharp attire placed him in the tradition of his idols, like Nat King Cole. Funny thing about that is, a couple years later Tony Orlando comes along with Dawn and he puts it on the album just like that and it's a hit. Butler explains the title difference: "When we released it, we didn’t want to call it 'He Don’t Love You Like I Love You' because that’s bad grammar. In 1975, Tony Orlando and Dawn revived the song, with a different title, and took it to #1 on the billboard charts. Together they wrote and performed the hit song "He Will Break Your Heart." (The band would later become Curtis Mayfield and The Impressions.) But Butler and Mayfield would team up again in 1960. Soon after the success of "For Your Precious Love," Butler left the Impressions and started a solo career. Butler slyly adds, "and they found out they liked it!" When Clark agreed to play "For Your Precious Love," everyone slow danced. Shows like "American Bandstand" helped launch musical careers back then, but Dick Clark had to be convinced to play a slow song on a show known for high energy dancing. "In the days of rhythm and blues and rock 'n' roll, everything was pretty much juked up so the kids could dance and all," says Butler. "For Your Precious Love" was a surprise hit in 1958. He explains with a chuckle, "The first place you can go and perform is in a church and someone’s gonna say 'Amen' whether you’re good or bad."īutler and Mayfield formed the doo-wop group The Impressions and they made a splash with a song Butler wrote as a poem at the age of 16. Butler says a lot of soul and R&B musicians come up that way. He and Curtis Mayfield started singing together in church. You don’t survive in either industry without making friends along the way.īutler grew up on the North side of Chicago in the 1950s. After all, he’s survived in the music industry for over 50 years, and he’s been in Chicago politics for 25. That’s the kind of gracious response Jerry Butler is known for. And if they hear this, thank you fellas, I appreciate that." The 72-year-old singer responded: "If you run into them, please thank them for me. I was surprised to find he didn't know about it. During a recent phone interview, I asked Butler what he thought of the Black Key’s cover.
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