Chicago’s Jerry “the Iceman” Butler and Roberta Flack
Jerry Butler made music for a generation
He told me that he was sure he had seen me somewhere before the day that I was standing in his office in the early 90s. That he could never forget my smile.
And I gushed and fan-girled back then. Not realizing that, in fact, that was what I was doing.
I was in the office of the late Cook County Commissioner and Bronzeville resident Jerry Butler. But before anyone knew him as a public servant from the city of Chicago, hailing from Sunflower, Mississippi, local and global fans knew him as “the Iceman.”
And even before that, he was the esteemed lead singer of the Impressions, which would later be led by Curtis Mayfield. “Their music was the sound of the Civil Rights Movement,” according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in which he was inducted in 1991.
His niece Yolanda Goff said: “He was very important to both music and to the community, and he will be missed.”
Butler was smooth as butter, after honing his lyrical skills, while living in the Cabrini Green public housing project in the mid- to late-50s.
Butler’s singing career began in gospel, along with Mayfield, traveling the country during school holidays as a member of the Northern Jubilee Singers. In 1958, they primarily abandoned gospel music, adding doo wop and soul, forming the Impressions.
Butler went solo in 1960, achieving over 55 Billboard Pop and R&B Chart hits.
He recalls that he grew up in humble circumstances. “We were so poor when I was growing up that my mother would boil chicken feet in water, add a little salt, and that was our meal,” he wrote in his autobiography, which took its title from his late 1960s hit “Only the Strong Survive”—(Memoirs of a Soul Survivor).
His teacher at James A. Sexton Elementary School, Ernestine B. Curry, taught about many illustrious Black leaders. “Mrs. Curry gave us a sense of pride and dignity that has carried me and many of her students through life,” he wrote.
It is reported that a Philadelphia disc jockey gave him the moniker because he was unproblematic when performing on stage.
Butler had hits “Western Union Man,” on the Mercury label, whose 1968 desperate lyrics cry out for his lover.
“Send a telegram to my baby
This is what I want you to do
I want you to tell her that I’m all alone
I tried to call her on the phone
Tell her I’m in misery
And think she’s avoiding me
And if the telegram don’t do
Send a box of candy, too
And maybe some flowers
Tell her that I missed her for hours and hours.”
“Your Precious Love,” “Make it Easy On Yourself,” “Moody Woman,” which he sang on the Soul! Television program in the 70s, while playfully saluting his wife, Annette, were other significant hits.
After a successful singing career, in 1993 Butler earned a master’s degree in political science from Governors State University and became a Cook County Commissioner, serving from 1985 to 2018, a year before his wife died.
In this capacity, he chaired the Health and Hospitals Committee and served as Vice Chair of the Construction Committee.
CBS News reported that current Cook County Commissioner Bill Lowry, who succeeded Butler in the 3rd District seat, remembered Butler: “He was not only a pillar of Cook County government but also a trailblazer in the music industry, earning his rightful place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His impact on both public service and the arts is immeasurable, leaving behind a legacy that will be cherished for generations.”
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said in a statement: “Butler’s legacy is one that transcends the stage. His contributions to music and public service are immeasurable. “His distinguished voice not only helped shape the sound of R&B and Soul but also left an indelible mark on the social and cultural fabric of Cook County.”
But he will most likely be remembered outside of Chicago for his singing career. “He’s one of the great voices of our time,” said Motown legend Smokey Robinson. Robinson reportedly had admired Butler since he heard the Impressions’ “For Your Precious Love.” He added: “It [swept] through ‘the hood.’ I have known Jerry Butler way back, since the Miracles and I first got started, around 1958. He’s a great person, and I love him.”
Butler died on February 20, after struggling with Parkinson’s Disease. “We lost another brick in the foundation,” posted Bootsy Collins, of the Parliament-Funkadelic Collective.
Five-time Grammy Winning Singer and Pianist Roberta Flack is remembered
Sure, many young folks know Lauryn Hill’s 1996 version of “Killing Me Softly,” but she was just trying to cover one of the greatest soul voices that had presented the song in 1973.
That songstress Roberta Flack announced on social media three years ago that she would no longer be singing. She had been struggling with Lou Gehrig Disease, or ALS.
Consequently, her millions of fans never heard her sing or play piano again, as she died on February 24 at the age of 88 in route to a New York hospital.
And just as Flack announced her forced retirement from music, hundreds of tributes were paid to her in kind—through social media.
“What a powerful, synchronized, beautiful instrument you were…Thank you,” wrote Dr. King’s daughter, Bernice King.
Chicago’s own superstar Jennifer Hudson also posted on X, formerly known as Twitter: “So sad to hear of Roberta Flack’s passing. One of the great soul singers of all time. Rest well, Ms. Flack. Your legacy lives on!!!”
Smokey Robinson posted: “Wow, it was really something to hear about Roberta’s passing, she was a dear friend, and I didn’t even know she was ill. She was a great talent and the world is going to miss her. Rest in Heaven Sweet Soul.”
The Rev. Al Sharpton posted: “I’m deeply saddened by the passing of the legendary Roberta Flack.
“Her voice and music shaped the very fabric of American culture, bringing depth, soul and meaning to generations. But beyond her artistry, she was a freedom fighter and activist.
“She was a dedicated supporter of the Movement and Rev. Jesse Jackson. For the past 25 years, she remained a steadfast friend of the National Action Network.
May she rest in peace and power.”
Flack captivated audiences with “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” among others. She will also be remembered for her duets with the late Donny Hathaway, “Where is the Love” and the sublime “The Closer I Get To You,” both recorded in the early 70s.
A former schoolteacher, she had a namesake program in the Roberta Flack School of Music in the Bronx, New York, which provided free music education to underprivileged students.
Flack was born in Black Mountain, North Carolina, was classically trained and received a full scholarship to Howard University when she was 15.
Flack was discovered in the late 1960s by jazz musician Les McCann, who wrote at that time “her voice touched, tapped, trapped, and kicked every emotion I’ve ever known.”
Flack told The Telegraph in 2015: “I wanted to be successful, a serious all-round musician. I listened to a lot of Aretha, the Drifters, trying to do some of that myself, playing, teaching.”
Talk about love songs! She was the epitome of that genre. She was quoted in 2020 in songwriteruniverse.com: “I love that connection to other artists because we understand music, we live music, it’s our language. Through music we understand what we are thinking and feeling. No matter what challenge life presents, I am at home with my piano, on a stage, with my band, in the studio, listening to music. I can find my way when I hear music.”
In 1971, Flack hit gold when Clint Eastwood used “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” in the film “Play Misty for Me.” He offered condolences on X, as well.
And the rest—Grammy for record of the year in 1973, and in 1974 another Grammy for “Killing Me Softly,” for a total of five Grammy wins; the somber storytelling in the 1973 song “Suzanne,” through the 1997 “It Might Be You,” featured on the “Waiting to Exhale” soundtrack, and a push behind Luther Vandross’ solo career—is history.
“We now say Rest In Peace and receive the loving award the Heavenly Father has for her. I’ll miss our conversation about the journey through music we would have, as well as the love of the music we have been able to share. You will be missed, dear friend,” Dionne Warwick wrote in an email.
Finally, Anita Baker sends Flack off so eloquently: “Back to The Stars. Back to The Trees. Back to The Rivers that Flow to The Seas. Never, gone from Us. Alive In Every Sunrise—Roberta Flack.”