Jerry Butler

Jerry Butler, Jr. (born December 8, 1939 in Sunflower, Mississippi) is an American soul singer and songwriter also known as "The Ice Man" because of his cool demeanour while singing often intensely emotional lyrics. He is also noted as being the original lead singer of the legendary R&B vocal group The Impressions , as well as a Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame Inductee. Image File history File links Jerry_Butler. ... Image File history File links Jerry_Butler. ... is the 342nd day of the year (343rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sunflower is a town located in Sunflower County, Mississippi. ... For other uses, see Soul music (disambiguation). ... Look up cool in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Musical solace

The mid-1950s had a profound impact on Butler’s life. He grew up poor, having lived in Chicago’s rough and tumble Cabrini Green housing complex. Music and the church provided solace from a city that was as segregated as those in the Deep South. He performed in a church choir with Curtis Mayfield. As a teenager, Butler sang in a gospel quartet called Northern Jubilee Gospel Singers along with Mayfield. Mayfield, a guitar player, became the lone instrumentist for the six-member Roosters group, which later became The Impressions. Inspired by music icons Sam Cooke and the Soul Stirrers, the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi and the Pilgrim Travelers, getting into the music business seemed inevitable.[1] This does not cite any references or sources. ... Newly-built market-rate housing sharply contrasts with Green Homes, under demolition. ... Regional definitions vary from source to source. ... Curtis Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American soul, funk and R&B singer, songwriter and guitarist best known for his anthemic music with The Impressions and composing the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film Superfly. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... For the Australian rock group, see The Impressions (Australian band). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... One of the most popular and influential gospel groups of the 20th century, The Soul Stirrers were pioneers in the development of the quartet style of gospel and, without intending it, in the creation of soul music, the secular music that owed much to gospel. ... The Five Blind Boys of Mississippi was one of the most popular and influential post-war gospel quartets. ... The Pilgrim Travelers were a gospel group popular in the late 1940s and early 1950s. ... The music industry is the industry that creates and performs music, both in the form of compositions and performances. ...

First recording; first gold record

At age 18, Butler wrote the song, "For Your Precious Love" and wanted to cut a record for it — not necessarily a hit record. Shopping for recording studios, The Impressions auditioned for Chess Records and VeeJay Records, both located on famed Record Row on Chicago's Michigan Avenue between Cermak Road and Roosevelt Road, where all the record distributors and record companies where housed. The group eventually signed with Vee-Jay, where they released "For Your Precious Love" in 1958, which became The Impressions' first hit to become a gold record. Due to conflicts between the group and Vee-Jay, which wanted to bill the group as "Jerry Butler and The Impressions " , which neither Jerry or the other group members wanted, Jerry left the group shortly thereafter. Impressions might refer to: The Impressions (American band), a 1960s/1970s American soul musical act from Chicago, Illinois led by Curtis Mayfield and Jerry Butler. ... The Chess Records logo, as featured on this Memphis Slim single. ... Vee-Jay Records was a record label, specializing in blues, jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll. ... Cermak Road, formerly 22nd Street, is a major east-west artery on Chicagos south side and western suburbs. ... Roosevelt Road, sometimes called 12th Street, is a major east-west thoroughfare in the city of Chicago and its western suburbs. ... Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Solo career

Butler was dubbed the "Iceman" by WDAS Philadelphia disc jockey Georgie Woods while performing in a Philadelphia theater. When the sound system went out, Butler continued singing — staying cool under pressure. However, Butler achieved what eluded many earlier Doo Wop groups during the 1950s and 1960s — longevity. Butler’s solo career had a string of hits, including the Top 10 hit "He Will Break Your Heart," "Moon River," "Need To Belong" (which he actually recorded with the Impressions AFTER he went solo), "Make It Easy On Yourself," "Let It Be Me" (the Everly Brothers classic re-done as a duet with Betty Everett), "Brand New Me," "Ain’t Understanding Mellow," (duet with Brenda Lee Eager), and "Never Gonna Give You Up," followed by two hugely successful albums The Ice Man Cometh in 1968 and Ice On Ice in 1970. The Iceman Cometh garnered Butler three Grammy nominations. He collaberated on many of his successful recordings with the Philadelphia-based songwriting team, Gamble and Huff. Georgie Woods, Philadelphia radio broadcast legend; born 1927, died June 18, 2005. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Don (born February 1, 1937 in Brownie, a small coal-mining town (now defunct) near Central City, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky) and Phil Everly (born January 18, 1939 in Chicago, Illinois) are country-influenced rock and roll performers who had their greatest success in the 1950s. ... Betty Everett (23 November 1939 - 19 August 2001) was an African-American R&B singer and pianist. ... The Ice Man Cometh is Jerry Butlers eleventh album, released in 1968 (see 1968 in music). ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the 1968 Gregorian calendar. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Tony Orlando and Dawn revived "He Will Break Your Heart" in 1975, with a new title, "He Don't Love You (Like I Love You)", and it was even more successful than Butler's original, going to number one pop.[2] Tony Orlando and Dawn was a pop music group that was very popular in the 1970s. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Recent years

Butler continues to perform his classic hits, “For Your Precious Love,”and others, in between his regular gig as Cook County Board Commissioner, where he has served since the 1980s. In recent years,He has served as host of all the famous PBS TV music specials , such as Doo Wop 50 and 51, Rock Rhythm And Doo Wop , and Soul Spectacular: 40 years of R&B,among others. He has also served as Chairman of the Board of the national Rhythm And Blues Foundation. In 1991, Jerry was inducted, along with the other original members of the Impressions, Curtis Mayfield, Sam Gooden, Fred Cash,and Arthur and Richard Brooks, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[3] To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

External links

• Jerry Butler: A Biography, by Erica Covin, SHS
• Jerry Butler Biography on VH1.com