Latest news with #TheImpressions
Otago Daily Times
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Obituary: Jerry Butler, musician
Jerry Butler on 10 August, 1980 in Chicago. Soul star Jerry Butler's musical talents eclipsed those of many of his contemporaries, musicians who he spent much of his latter life helping. The son of Mississippi sharecroppers, Butler was raised in Chicago and worshipped at the Travelling Souls Spiritualist Church, presided over by the Rev A.B. Mayfield. The preacher's grandson, Curtis Mayfield, and Butler, were part of The Impressions, a vocal group which had a big local hit with For Your Precious Love, but who fell out because the record company renamed the group Jerry Butler and the Impressions. Butler, still regularly working with Mayfield, went solo: hits included I've Been Loving You Too Long (with Otis Redding) and Only the Strong Survive, later covered by Elvis Presley. As his music career faded out Butler went into local politics and served more than 30 years on the Cook County Board. He also chaired the Rhythm & Blues Foundation, which offers assistance to musicians, and pushed the industry to provide medical and retirement benefits. Jerry "The Ice Man" Butler died on February 20 aged 85. — APL/agencies
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jerry Butler, soul singer and politician, dies at 85
Feb. 21 (UPI) -- Jerry Butler, a politician, soul singer and former member of The Impressions, has died. He was 85. Butler, also known as "Ice Man," died Thursday, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. He had been living with Parkinson's disease. His assistant confirmed the singer's death to TMZ. Butler, who was born in Mississippi but lived for many years in Chicago, met fellow Impressions member Curtis Mayfield when he was just 13 years old. The music group, which also included Fred Cash, Richard A. Brooks, Sam Gooden and Arthur "Pop" Brooks, Sr., was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. "A bridge in more ways than one. The Impressions traversed the sounds of the Fifties and Sixties as well as old and new attitudes," a description from the hall of fame reads. "Their music was the sound of the civil rights movement." As a solo artist, Butler was well known for his song, "Only the Strong Survive," which appeared on his 1968 album The Ice Man Cometh. Beyond music, Butler became a commissioner for Cook County, Ill., beginning in 1985. He continued in that role through 2018. "He's one of the great voices of our time," fellow music artist Smokey Robinson told the Chicago Sun-Times. "...He's a great person and I love him."
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Turned Politician Dead at 85
Jerry Butler has died. He was 85. The R&B singer and longtime Illinois politician's assistant Marty (and self-proclaimed "niece at heart") told TMZ Friday that he died at his home in Chicago on Thursday, Feb. 20. "An amazing man has relocated to heaven," Marty said. "Our loss here on earth." Butler died of natural causes, according to his assistant, who also cited his battle with Parkinson's disease as a contributing factor. Born on Dec. 8, 1939, in Sunflower, Miss., Butler first rose to fame in 1958, while fronting The Impressions, an R&B ensemble he formed with his good friend at the time, Curtis Mayfield. The group, which he was a member of for several years, saw almost immediate success due in part to a piece written by Butler, "For Your Precious Love," which went on to be the group's first gold record, per IMDb. Butler eventually earned the nickname "The Iceman" during a 1959 performance in which the public address (PA) system failed, but Butler kept singing, wowing the audience with his "smooth and cool" delivery and famous baritone vocals, ultimately resulting in the moniker first coined by WDAS Philadelphia DJ Georgie Woods. And to think that was really only the beginning of his lengthy career. Even after the group cordially split and Butler flew solo (with Fred Cash taking his spot in The Impressions in 1960), he continued to be a force in the industry and collaborated with some of the biggest artists of the time, like Otis Redding and Betty Everett, and earned three Grammy Award nominations. Some of the biggest hits of his solo career include "He Will Break Your Heart," "Moon River," "Only the Strong Survive" and "Never Gonna Give You Up." Butler was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 with the soul group, and later, into the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1994 – a non-profit organization for which he has served as the Chairman of the Board. Moving past his success as an artist, Butler became involved in local politics in the mid-1980s and was first elected to the Cook County (Illinois) Board of Commissioners in 1985. He served three four-year terms before pursuing a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Governor's State College in University Park, Illinois. Along with his professional achievements, Butler was happily married to Annette Smith – his former backup singer – for 60 years before her death in September 2019. The late couple is survived by their sons, Randy and Anthony, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Next:
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jerry Butler Dies: The Impressions Singer Who Had Solo Hits And Later Went Into Chicago Politics Was 85
Jerry 'The Iceman' Butler, who had a national hit with Rock and Roll Hall of Fame act The Impressions before leaving for a successful solo career and later entering Chicago politics, died Thursday at his home, The Chicago Sun-Times reported. He was 85. No cause of death was reported, but Butler had been struggling with Parkinson's disease. Born on December 8, 1939 in Chicago, Butler met Curtis Mayfield in the early 1950s, and they later teamed with Sam Gooden and brothers Richard and Arthur Brooks in a doo-wop group before changing their name to The Impressions and signing with Vee-Jay Records. The group hit with its first single, 1958's 'For Your Precious Love,' driven by Butler's soulful lead vocal. Co-written by Butler and Brooks brothers, reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 3 on the soul chart. It ranked No. 335 on Rolling Stone's 2003 list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and was covered by the likes of Otis Redding, Jackie Wilson with Count Basie, Aaron Neville and others. More from Deadline 2025 Deaths Photo Gallery: Hollywood & Media Obituaries Brenton Wood Dies: Soul Singer Behind 'Gimme Little Sign' & 'Oogum Boogum Song' Was 83 CW Affiliates In Chicago & Two Other Markets Switch To Nexstar-Owned Stations Butler and the group were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. Mayfield went on to an influential solo career that included hits 'Freddie's Dead' and 'Superfly.' He was paralyzed in 1990 after a light tower fell on him before a concert and died in 1999. DEADLINE RELATED VIDEO: Butler left the group soon after for a solo career and scored a 1960 Top 10 hit with 'He Will Break Your Heart' — which topped the R&B chart — and had a hit cover in 'Moon River' the following year. He would place more than three dozen singles on the pop chart through 1977, led by 'Let It Be Me,' his 1964 duet with Betty Everett that reached No. 5, and his biggest hit, 'Only the Strong Survive,' which soared to No. 4 pop and No. 1 R&B and went gold in 1969. Having moved to Mercury Records in 1967 and working with the legendary songwriting duo of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, he also made the Top 20 with 1968's 'Never Give You Up' and 'Hey, Western Union Man' — another R&B chart-topper — and 'What's the Use of Breaking Up?' in 1969 and later scored a second gold single with his Brenda Lee Eager duet 'Ain't Misunderstanding Mellow,' which peaked at No. 21 in 1971. After his music career, Butler became the face of PBS' numerous doo-wop specials and was elected to the Cook County Board of Commissioners, where he served for more than three decades. Butler is survived by sons Anthony and Randy, four grandchildren and a great-grandchild. Best of Deadline 2025 Deaths Photo Gallery: Hollywood & Media Obituaries Everything We Know About 'Emily In Paris' Season 5 So Far Everything We Know About Season 3 Of 'Euphoria' So Far
The Independent
21-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Jerry Butler death: Impressions singer dies at 85
Jerry Butler, the original lead singer of the R&B and soul group The Impressions, has died. He was 85. The Mississippi-born musician started singing as a teenager in a Chicago church choir alongside his future bandmate Curtis Mayfield. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which inducted The Impressions in 1991, described their music as 'the sound of the Civil Rights Movement.' In later life, Butler went on to become a local politician and served as a commissioner for Cook County, Illinois, from 1985 to 2018. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, he died at home late on Thursday evening. His niece Yolanda Goff told the publication: 'He was very important to both music and to the community, and he will be missed.' Butler was born in Sunflower, Mississippi, on December 8, 1939. When he was three, his family moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he grew up in the Cabrini–Green housing project. In 1957, at the age of 17, Butler and Mayfield joined a doo-wop group called the Roosters. By the following year, at the suggestion of their manager, they had been renamed Jerry Butler & the Impressions. The group had their first chart hit in 1958 with 'For Your Precious Love', which Butler co-wrote with brothers Arthur and Richard Brooks. His most lucrative songwriting credit came when he co-wrote Otis Redding's 1965 hit 'I've Been Loving You Too Long' with the singer. While performing in Philadelphia, a local DJ nicknamed Butler 'The Ice Man' for his cool, smooth delivery. The name stuck, and inspired the names of his solo albums The Ice Man Cometh (1968) and Ice on Ice (1969). Butler continued to perform after launching his political career in 1985. He was a commissioner for Cook County as a member of a 17-member county board, chairing the Health and Hospitals Committee. In a statement Dr Erik Mikaitis, Cook County Health CEO, described Butler as a 'distinguished public servant' and a 'steadfast advocate for health justice.' He added: 'Commissioner Butler's leadership and commitment to public service have left an indelible mark on our health system and the entire county. His unwavering dedication to our community and his invaluable contributions to our County and health system will be profoundly missed.' He was married to his wife Annette, who had originally been one of his backup singers, from 1959 until her death in 2019. No cause of death has yet been confirmed, although it has been reported that Butler was suffering from Parkinson's disease.
