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 "Only the Strong Survive" here. If for some reason the link is broken, search Jerry Butler and the song's title on YouTube. Worth a listen, it's both soulful and rockin'.

The photo in the thumbnail was taken by John Mathew Smith & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel Maryland, USA. It shows Butler in 1998 at the Best Buddies Ball in Washington, D.C. The photo is available on Wikipedia under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license. In the chapters, there also are a couple of shots of audio CDs that I found on Amazon.

The artwork framing two sides of the thumbnail photo was created by Bob Jones.

Song of the Day creator Sheldon Zoldan researched, wrote and narrated this short story, one of 35 tributes to music stars who passed away in 2025. Song of the Day used to be a daily feature delivered to an email list of subscribers. Sheldon ended it in early 2026 which, I suppose, means that Song of the Day also deserves a tribute. The good thing is that the music tributes live on. Each is a snapshot of the life of one music maker whose work made an impact on the lives of many.

Send us Fan Mail

This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation®, available on YouTube and in major podcast directories including Apple, Spotify, iHeart and Audible.