Good morning P.O.U. Fam!
The Chicago Soul series continues with the “The Ice Man” — Jerry Butler.
Jerry Butler moved from Sunflower, MS, to Chicago, IL, at the age of three during the mass migration of African Americans from the South. He grew up in an area which is now known as the Cabrini-Green Housing Projects.
After starting his career with the Impressions, Butler signed with Vee-Jay records in 1960 where his career blossomed. 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, Butler bounced back with two Top Ten singles: “Find Another Girl” and “I’m a Telling You.”
In 1967, Butler 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 Butler was more than capable of singing up-tempo songs.
In the spring of 1971, Butler hit the Top Ten with the number-eight single “If It’s Real What I Feel,” andcontinued 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. 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.
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, Butler himself became the Cook County (IL) Commissioner and by the late ’90s became a Chicago City Alderman.
