A Trayful of The Iceman: Click image for iTunes Mix.

Jerry Butler, "You Make Me Feel Like Someone"

In conjunction with partner Curtis Mayfield, Jerry Butler was a Chicago soul architect and founding member of The Impressions before launching his solo career, initially with continued collaboration with Mayfield. "The Iceman," as Butler was known, sang about the transformative powers of love with the best of them. He also sang about being a man, or a mensch, if that helps you understand what I'm saying without thinking in terms of blues-based braggadocio. I know these are among corniest, cliched, and suspect claims one will make regarding a musician in this day and age, but bear with me.

Following are two examples of Butler's work on the Vee-Jay label.

Follow up:

Jerry Butler, "Find Another Girl"

Jerry Butler, "Need to Belong"

Butler straddled gospel, blues, Bacharach-style (and, often, -composed) sophistication, and soul on his solo works with the Vee-Jay label. His languid phrasing refused to be rushed by the beat or threatened by the orchestration. He moved to Mercury in the latter half of the '60s and began collaborating with Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, and the nascent Sound of Philadelphia crew (Mothers, Fathers, Sisters, and Brothers, or MFSB, as the house band would be known). With the diverse group of Philly musicians, building from a Motown template, Butler's music would take on a soulful Rascals-like rock underpinning, as heard in the bass and drums. His Mercury-era hits also included some of the warmest rhythm guitar parts heard on soul records of that time.

Jerry Butler, "Lost"

This Mercury-era stuff is the sound of the city as I recall it as a youngster. It's music of hope. Music of love. It's soul with some rock elements. It's music parents can love and kids can dance to. Just cool stuff, if you ask me.

Jerry Butler, "Only the Strong Survive"

I'd be kidding you if I tried to pretend I knew a lot of facts about Butler - and I choose not to take the time to look them up - but I know what I like about his music. One fact I do know is that the guy put the transformative, community building spirit of his work into practice when he entered city politics in Chicago, serving as an alderman. He may still have been an alderman when I saw him appearing as part of a soul revue show at an Atlantic City casino about 7 or 8 years ago. I was there with my man The Accuser, and our man Don Covay was sitting just a few seats down from our row. We got to shake Covay's hand, and man, when Butler sang "Only the Strong Survive", a song that always hit home when I'd hear it on Butterball's Sunday night soul show on WOGL when I was a yon teen, I felt it all coming together for a few minutes.