Only
the Strong Survive: Memoirs of a Soul Survivor
(Click title to order
online now)
by Jerry Butler, with Earl Smith
Format: Hardcover, 256pp.
ISBN: 0253337968
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Pub. Date: November 2000
Reviewed by Paige Turner
Only the Strong Survive: Memoirs of a Soul Survivor is one of the best and most intelligent books of the last year. Renaissance man Jerry Butler's life has made an arc from a poor southern sharecropping family, to gold records, to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, to public service as an elected official. How he got from point A to Z -- and all of the interesting stops along the way -- makes Only the Strong Survive excellent and worthwhile reading, and perhaps the best celebrity biography of the last five years. Butler's family emigrated from the rural South to the opportunities that were presented by Chicago. Growing up in the notorious Cabrini Green housing projects, Butler encountered culture shock when he went home for the first time after experiencing some success as a recording artist.
"We returned home about the end of July and around Cabrini Green we were lightweight celebrities. I mean we were sharp and had a few coins in our pockets, but we still lived in Cabrini Green. All of a sudden, the smells we used to ignore--the pee in the elevators and on the stairs, wine bottles and junkies -- suddenly became too much to bear. The old saying about not being able to see the forest for the trees became crystal clear to me." Only the Strong Survive provides an insider's perspective of the very early days of R and B, and what makes the book so fascinating is that it explores the emotions and feelings behind the climb to success in the entertainment field. Butler was brought up short early on, when he was mistakenly billed as the leader of the Impressions. The group was riding high with their first major success, the masterful and reverent, For Your Precious Love. But the billing caused a rift which forced Butler to go solo, and accelerated his show biz education.
Butler tells the vexing story of how industry politics stole the classic song, Moon River, out of his lap, and gave it to Andy Williams, for whom it became a signature song and monster hit.
"Episodes from those first horrid months after the break up are indelibly etched in my psyche as vivid as the day I first experienced them. I recall, as if it were only yesterday, being onstage and someone saying, "His fingernails are dirty". I still can see the faces of the people who heckled me, although hecklers are a separate breed altogether."
Butler tells the vexing story of how industry politics stole the classic song, Moon River, out of his lap, and gave it to Andy Williams, for whom it became a signature song and monster hit. Butler handled this disappointment with dignity and regal bearing, due in part to the fact that he is descended from Watusi royalty on his mother's side. His even handed philosophy was later rewarded by gold record hits such as He Don't Love You, Only the Strong Survive, What's the Use In Breakin Up, Western Union Man and others. While the photos, discography and index are good, Only the Strong Survives is truly distinguished by its Bibliography and Footnotes -- a joyful revelation in a celebrity biography. These reveal the work and seriousness with which Butler (and his co writer and brother in law, Earl Smith) approached this project, and allow readers to explore the same sources that influenced their thinking. A rare, refreshing, intelligent, and respectful approach to reader involvement. This scholarly approach enhances reader's appreciation of this often-marginalized music. In addition the book proclaims itself as light years beyond other celebrity bios, by providing eclectic quotations from Groucho Marx, Virginia Woolfe and Andre Maurois. This is further evidence of the intelligence and resourcefulness that Butler has demonstrated in all aspects of his life -- as a performer, singer, businessman, activist and politician.
Only the Strong Survive is a treasure trove of information on the early days of rock and roll and rhythm and blues. Butler offers anecdotes galore about celebrities and show biz figures such as Adam Clayton Powell, Burt Bacharach, Dionne Warwick, Henry Mancini, Dinah Washington (nicknamed Crocodile; read the book to find out why), Bill Cosby, Aretha Franklin, the brilliant Curtis Mayfield and Patti Labelle.
"[A San Francisco journalist in the mid 70s asked], Why is someone as great as Patti LaBelle singing backup for Jerry Butler? If he had asked me, I would have told him that it wasn't about greatness -- it was about friends helping each other out in a time of need. It was about two gracious and fantastic women [LaBelle and Nona Hendryx] who needed work, and a very grateful performer who needed their help. It was about loyalty and caring, about comradeship and understanding the nature of the business we were in. It was about respect."
Butler is an undisputed success story, having experienced self-actualization and fulfillment in almost all of his endeavors. This is someone from whom we can all learn. Thus readers could have obtained even greater insight if Butler had discussed his successful 40-year marriage to Annette Smith, his career as a businessman, and his relationship with his sons in more detail.
Unlike many performers Butler used every opportunity to better himself and to firmly establish himself as a "keeper" on the entertainment scene. Currently he is entrenched in the "giving back" phase of his life, both in his duties serving as a Cook County Commissioner, and as the driving force behind the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. The Foundation does admirable work in ensuring that R and B icons like Little Willie John, Mary Wells, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, and other pioneering artists get the recognition they deserve, and are not forgotten. Butler continues to strive for new achievements, obtaining a masters degree in political science in 1993.
Read Only the Strong Survive only if you want to know how a successful entertainer with class, dignity and intelligence conducts himself. Only the strong survive. Meditate on this. Never were truer words spoken.
Earl Smith, a veteran journalist, has served stints at the Associated Press, Jet Magazine, and the Chicago Defender. He is also the founder and editor of Today's Traveler magazine. Mr. Smith resides in Chicago. |