StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Spotlight on Jonathan Butler

This week, our video spotlight is on singer and guitarist Jonathan Butler, who's coming to St. Louis next Friday, September 24 for a concert at the 560 Music Center in University City. The concert, which is part of the festivities surrounding the annual Gateway Classic college football game next weekend, will feature St. Louis saxophonist Tim Cunningham as opening act.

A native of South Africa, Butler makes music with a sound that could be termed smooth jazz, R&B or adult pop, depending on your perspective, along with lyrics that often come from a spiritual or religious perspective. He first gained recognition outside his home country during the 1980s while living in the UK, and has continued to cultivate a diverse following in the US, Europe and South Africa. His most recent CD is So Strong, which came out earlier this year.

The first video up top shows Butler covering Bob Marley's "No Woman No Cry." In the window down below, Butler plays his own "Dancing On The Shore" (after giving his drummer and bass player a chance to jam a bit) and below that, he duets with his daughter Jodie on a version of the Roberta Flack/Donny Hathaway hit "Where Is The Love?" The fourth video is a short promotional film/mini-documentary on a trip Butler recently took back to South Africa.