R&B legend, Jerry “The Iceman” Butler celebrates his 30th anniversary appearance at Blues Alley Sunday night and Monday night in a special show that has been called “Valentine’s Day with The Iceman.” This renowned singer, who was dubbed “cool as ice” in 1959 by Philadelphia radio personality, and whose career began in 1958 Chicago when he and Curtis Mayfield developed their group, the Impressions, prepares for the flight to D.C. and its most prominent jazz club.
| On stage |
| Jerry “The Iceman” Butler |
| Where: Blues Alley Jazz Supper Club, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW |
| When: 8:00 and 10:00 p.m., Sunday; 7 and 10 p.m. Monday. |
| Info: $43, $92 for Monday; 202-337-4141 |
He speaks openly and wholeheartedly from his office in Chicago where, from Monday to Friday, he performs his job as a Cook County, Ill., commissioner.
This man, whose song, “For Your Precious Love” went gold in 1958, does indeed wear two hats, even as he says he is “trying to live up to both.”
His voice is deep and punctuated with low laughter as he talks about his Blues Alley gig.
“Over the years, this show has been a Valentine’s Day tradition that has expanded to several days to accommodate all of the fans, he said. “The people come for nostalgia’s sake. The music reminds them of the girl that they knew, the man that they lost, the house they lived in, the friends they had and what they were doing,” he said.
Audiences in the intimate venue will hear “The Iceman” perform his hit songs that include “For Your Precious Love,” “He Will Break Your Heart,” “Only the Strong Survive” and “Make it Easy on Yourself.”
“Each one of these songs represents a particular phase of my career from 1950 to the mid-1970s,” he noted.
And of his political career, Jerry “The Iceman” Butler, speaks the slow words of emphatic commitment. “I entered politics because I was very much influenced by the civil rights movement.” He added, “I love to entertain and help – both things. “[When] I was planning to run for a seat as Cook County commissioner, one of the professors at the local college drove by and saw me cutting the grass.” Butler, one soon learns, is a grand raconteur. “He says, ‘Hey Jerry, I hear you’re going to take a stab at politics?’ I said yes and he said, ‘Why? People like you. And if you become a politician, people won’t like you anymore.'”
