Jonathan Butler supports children orphaned by HIV/Aids
Jonathan Butler fans that parted with the princely sum of Shs120,000 can attend his Kampala Serena Hotel concert today knowing well that they are going to have a whale of a time. The US-based South African musician jetted into town on Friday afternoon to play at a one-night only concert.
Butler arrived aboard a Kenya Airways flight and was driven to Kampala Serena Hotel to sleep off the weariness of a lengthy flight.
He arrived accompanied by four musicians; Kurt Lykes (vocalist), Stan Sergeant (guitarist), Kenneth Knight (keyboardist) and Eric Valentine (drums).
The grey-haired, dressed down musician told journalists upon arrival that that he was upbeat about his visit, his first to East Africa. “Uganda is so similar to South Africa especially the greenery,” said Butler who resides in Los Angeles. Butler also said he was excited about lending his talent to a noble cause.
The proceeds from the concert will go towards setting up an educational trust fund in aid of children orphaned by HIV/Aids under the care of Taso (The Aids Support Organisation). Jonathan Butler was born in October 1961 in Cape Town, South Africa. The singer/songwriter/guitarist is often classified as R&B, jazz-fusion or smooth jazz.
Butler was born and raised during the apartheid era and started singing and playing acoustic guitar as a child. Racial segregation and poverty during apartheid has been the subject of many of his records.
His first single, the first by a black artiste played by white radio stations in the racially segregated South Africa, earned a Sarie Award, South Africa’s equivalent to the Grammys.
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 teenage 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.
Butler was signed to Jive Records in 1977, and in the early 1980s, he moved to England where he remained for 17 years. His international breakthrough came in 1987 with his Grammy nominated hit Lies and his version of the Staple Singers song If You’re Ready (Come Go with Me), which he performed with Ruby Turner. His other popular songs include Take Good Care of Me, Mandela Bay and River of Life which Ugandan contestant Paul Lwanga sang at last year’s Tusker Project Fame contest.
[Via The Monitor]
