Jerry Butler is a Rhythm and Blues singer that has been entertaining audiences for over forty years. In this time, he has received the nickname of "Ice Man" because of his smooth and soulful voice. He has released over 50 albums during his career. Although he now lives in Chicago, Illinois, he was born in Mississippi and Mississipians often think of him as one of their own.

Jerry Butler was born on December 8, 1939, in Sunflower, Mississippi. His family traveled from Sunflower to Chicago, Illinois in 1942. Mr. Butler was only three years old at the time his parents moved to Chicago. Where as a young child was introduced into the world of music. His first experience was singing in the local choir in his town. While in the choir, Butler met Mr. Curtis Mayfield. Although Mayfield was three years younger, the two would later join with three other men to form the Rhythm and Blues group called the Roosters. The name, however, was later changed into Jerry Butler and the Impressions. It was in this group that Jerry had his first hit, "For Your Precious Love", which was recorded in 1958. Jerry wrote this song at the young age of 16. The same year that "For Your Precious Love" was released the Impressions broke up and Jerry began his long and successful career as a solo artist. Through the years he has become a successful and well know singer throughout the R&B Community.

Mr. Butler’s next hit was "He Will Break Your Heart". Although the song only reached number 17 at its highest popularity, this was a great achievement for Jerry. Over the years, "The Ice Man" has recorded many popular songs including; "Find Another Girl", "I’m Telling You", "Hey, Western Union Man", "Only The Strong Survive", and "Ain’t Understanding Mellow". Over the years, Mr. Butler has released over 50 albums. His latest release is "The Jerry Butler Collection" which was released in 2003 by the Collections Company. Mr. Butler has appeared on several syndicated television shows including "Martin the Emancipator" which is a story about Dr. Martin Luther King, "The Johnny Carson Show", "The Ed Sullivan Show", and "The Today Show."  However, success in the field of music and his other successes did not satisfy Mr. Butler. Over a decade ago, he decided to enter into the world of politics. Currently, he is serving his third term as Cook County Commissioner. Butler is also a contributing member to the R & B Foundation and has been since 1994. In 2000, he was selected as an honoree of the foundation, but gave his monetary award back to the foundation.

The soulful tones of Mr. Jerry Butler’s music has had a great impact on the world of R&B. He has helped to lay the foundation for generation after generation of music artist. Many current artist cite Mr. Butler as an inspiration to their music. For everyone else, he is a person to look up to. He has overcome the odds and became a successful person. We all could look up to him and strive to meet the challenges that life gives us and succeed.