Jerry Butler, the veteran soul hitmaker who became a local Chicago politician, has passed away. Butler was suffering from Parkinson's disease, and the Chicago Sun-Times reports that he died at home on Thursday night. Butler was 85.
Jerry Butler was born in Sunflower, Mississippi, but he grew up in Chicago's Cabrini-Green housing projects. As kids, Butler and Curtis Mayfield sang together in church. As teenagers, they formed a gospel group called Northern Jubilee Gospel Singers. That group evolved into a doo-wop group called the Roosters, which Butler on lead vocals and Mayfield on guitar. Before long, the Roosters changed their name to the Impressions. Butler co-wrote the ballad "For Your Precious Love" with his Impressions bandmates Arthur and Richard Brooks; it was based on a poem that Butler wrote in high school. The group used the song to audition for Vee-Jay Records, and the label signed them and released the single in 1958, when Butler was 19. "For Your Precious Love" was a crossover hit, reaching #11 on the pop charts, and the Impressions were on their way to stardom.
Early on, the Impressions were sometimes billed as Jerry Butler & The Impressions. After the success of "For Your Precious Love," though, Butler left the group to go solo. Curtis Mayfield took over as leader, and the Impressions went on to a release legendary run of vivid, politically informed soul anthems before Mayfield wrote his name in history as one of the greatest artists of the '70s. For his part, Butler also had a lot of success after the Impressions. Butler, Mayfield, and producer Calvin Carter co-wrote Butler's 1960 single "He Will Break Your Heart," which reached #7 on the pop charts. Fifteen years later, Tony Orlando & Dawn had a #1 hit with a cover of that song.
Jerry Butler, nicknamed "the Iceman," continued to release records through the '60s. In 1964, Butler and Betty Everett had a #5 hit with a cover of the Everly Brothers' "Let It Be Me." A year later, Butler co-wrote Otis Redding's classic "I've Been Loving You Too Long." In the late '60s, Butler recorded a strong of hits with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, the two songwriters and producers who pioneered the Philly soul sound. The biggest of those hits was "Only The Strong Survive," which reached #4 in 1968. Butler kept landing minor hits into the '70s, and he recorded a couple of '70s albums for Motown before moving over to Gamble and Huff's Philadelphia International label in the early '80s.
In 1985, Jerry Butler moved into a second career, becoming a Commissioner for Cook County, Illinois. Butler held that position for 32 years, before retiring from politics in 2018. He continued to perform while holding that job. In 1991, Butler was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as a member of the Impressions.
Below, check out some of Jerry Butler's work.
