Jerry Butler's Career Spanned "Your Precious Love," the Philadelphia Sound and Politics

About this episode

The episode explores Jerry Butler's influential career in music and politics.

Jerry Butler may not be a household name, but he had a long and fruitful career as a singer and songwriter, first with the Impressions and then as a solo artist. Butler was part of the creation of the Philadelphia Sound, had hit songs that included "Only the Strong Survive," and later earned bachelor and master's degrees. In the mid-'80s, he was elected to the Cook County Commission in Illinois and held that seat until his retirement more than two decades later. You can hear him sing "O...

People in this episode

Host: Kate Jones

Topics covered

• music
• Philadelphia Sound
• politics
• career
• songwriting

Keywords

• Jerry Butler
• Philadelphia Sound
• Impressions
• Cook County
• music career

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Impressions, Cook County Commission

Places: Illinois

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