Six minutes with Jonathan Butler
His first single was the first by a black artist played by white radio stations in the racially segregated South Africa and earned a Sarie Award, South Africa’s equivalent to the Grammy Awards. He began touring at the age of seven when he joined a travelling stage show, and was later signed up to perform […]
His first single was the first by a black artist played by white radio stations in the racially segregated South Africa and earned a Sarie Award, South Africa’s equivalent to the Grammy Awards. He began touring at the age of seven when he joined a travelling stage show, and was later signed up to perform on a string of hit recordings, turning him into a local teen idol. In 1978 he found the inspiration and encouragement to begin expressing himself as a composer and songwriter when he joined Cape Town’s best known jazz/rock outfit, Pacific Express. Two albums were recorded with the Express personnel, and some Pacific Express songs were later released on the 1988 7th Avenue album. All three releases were issued by Mountain Records. Butler was signed to Jive Records in 1977, and in the early 1980s he moved to the United Kingdom, where he remained for 17 years. His international breakthrough came in 1987 with his Grammy-nominated hit single, “Lies”, and his cover version of the Staple Singers song “If You’re Ready (Come Go with Me)”, which he performed with Ruby Turner. Butler maintained a loyal following in the 1980s and 1990s, in South Africa, the United States and Europe. In 2006, he was a featured vocalist on the album Gospel Goes Classical, produced by University of Alabama at Birmingham music professor Henry Panion. This recording, featuring arrangements by Panion, Tommy Stewart, Michael Loveless and Ray Reach, rose to No. 2 on the Billboard Gospel chart, and No. 3 on the Classical Crossover chart. He was also nominated for a Grammy Award for his single “Going Home”. Als,o in 2008, Butler guest-starred on George Duke’s album ‘Dukey Treats’, alongside the late Teena Marie on the track, ‘Sudan’, talking about the disasters of Darfur. He was at the maiden edition of the Calabar International Jazz Festival on Good Friday. At 52, Butler’s fingers are still as nimble on the guitar as they were in the 80s and 90s where fans reeled with excitement over his hit songs like, ‘Lies’, ‘Baby Please Don’t Take It (I Need Your Love)’, ‘Holding on’ and ‘I’m on my knees’, among others. In this six-minute interview, the multiple Grammy-Award nominee, spoke with Weekly Trust about coming to Calabar, his current project and making music.
Weekly Trust: What inspires the kind of songs you sing; the lyrics and themes?
Jonathan Butler: I would say it is God, my relationship and faith in Him. Also, my relationship with my wife and children has played a role. I’m such a home person. I love my family. They inspire and motivate me. I have a reason to wake up every day, because of their support and love. I have a lot of fans, but just to be able to look around me and have that love that I always wanted … I mean I come from a very big family, I am the last of 12 children; all that gets lost in translation. It gets missed in affection or affirmation. It’s really all I can say that inspires me. Also, I love music. I simply love music.
When I was seven, I used to play in an all white club with much older musicians and artistes. When other kids were playing, I was practising. I was so engaged and connected with the instrument.
You have had your ups and downs and gotten through all of it. What would you say is the most important lesson that life has taught you in all of this?
It is humility and also the fact that one’s name is far greater than earthly treasures. Through suffering, through trials and tribulations you become a stronger human being. I like the scriptures, in I think it is Hebrews Chapter 8, which talks about Jesus and obedience. It says: ‘even though He was the son of God, He learnt obedience by the things He suffered. So, we are all the same. We have to put on Christ and His suffering so that we can become better people. I think that what I learned later on is humility. I have been broken. I have been brought low, I have been without and I have had to learn to keep smiling and to keep going. In all of this, I keep going back to my instrument, going back to pray, reading and surrounding myself with very close friends and family that are important to me. Humility is the one thing I want to pass on to my children.
This is one reason I travel with my youngest child. She is in Africa and in Calabar now. I get her to visit Lagos, Uganda, Zambia, Angola and other African countries. She has seen her continent, although she was born in England, but she has seen where her father is from. She sees how humble the people are. America can be very surreal to a person who does not have this other experience or does not know it exists. She is in the room right now eating pepper soup. She connected very well with the environment.
Which of your songs would you say you have enjoyed the most?
You know… hmmm, I have to say I really do love singing about ‘Falling in love with Jesus’, because, not that I am bashing people over their heads with Christianity and religion which is not true. I am a spiritual person. I love to speak and the simplicity of words … I am not intellectual. I didn’t go to school. So, when God gives me a song as simple as that, it just allows me to express something really simple to people in a way which we can embellish and let it grow. Like the first song I did tonight, ‘Fine rain’; the band has never come in before. So tonight for the first time, they felt me. They came in and they went out; and it was like there was something special about that moment, because they let me know that, ‘we are here, we got you’.
This is the second time you are performing in Calabar. Could you describe what the experience has been like for you?
Calabar is something else. When you get off the plane in Calabar, something happens to you. You become calmer. (Laughter) You just get calm and play. The breeze, the gentle cool breeze welcomes you. It calms you. It’s green all around you and there is a lot of space. It is something that I really, really like, personally. The first festival I performed in was during the Christmas city festival. I don’t think anybody there knew who I was. So, I just went out, did my show, but in the end the response from the audience was awesome. People really drew closer to me. This second trip also had the same effect on me. So let’s see if I am invited again to perform what the responses and reactions will be like.
What projects are you working on at the moment?
I am just now mixing my very first Christmas CD and also in conjunction with that, I am working on my next jazz record; an instrumental album, which I call ‘Home’. Actually, Calabar is the name of one of the songs in the album, because I am beginning to connect with Africa in a big way.