Jerry Butler might be remembered as a singer with The Impressions, a vocal group inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. Butler and Curtis Mayfield shared lead vocals in the band’s early years before Butler left the group to embark on a solo career.

More likely, The Impressions are only slightly more remembered than Butler himself, who comes in third on the ranked list of most forgotten artists.

Butler landed 13 hits in the Billboard Hot 100, and dozens more on the Pop and R&B charts. His most successful hits were 1960’s ‘He Will Break Your Heart,’ 1969’s ‘Only the Strong Survive,’ and 1964’s ‘Let It Be Me,’ a duet with Betty Everett (a cover of the Everly Brothers hit).

I actually mentioned Butler in a recent Throwback Weekend post when writing about Tony Orlando & Dawn’s hit cover version of today’s SOTD.

Butler had a nearly 30-year career as a local politician in Chicago while still performing on the side. He died earlier this year at 85.