Image: COURTESY
South African-born guitarist Jonathan Butler is a hugely popular performer known for his crossover blend of R&B, pop, jazz fusion, and worship music.
He was born and raised in Athlone, Cape Town in South Africa on the 10th of October 1961.
He is a Grammy-nominated artiste with several songs in the Top Ten of the Jazz charts and No. 1 songs on various genre charts.
Born under the shadow of apartheid and raised in poverty, Butler became the first non-white artist to appear on national television and his songs were played on South African radio.
His story begins at a very young age when his father presented him with a homemade one-string guitar unknown to his father what appeared as a small gift was in fact a hope of a musical phenomenon.
After his father's wonderful gift, Butler's musical gifts grew by leaps and bounds. At the early age of 7, he won a local talent contest and he got the opportunity to perform with a touring musical company throughout South Africa.
On some special occasions, he got the chance to perform for whites only and also perform for dilapidated local townships.
At the tender age of thirteen, Jonathan's talents caught the ears and eyes of a British record producer Clive Caulder and he got signed into Jive Records.
Image: COURTESY
His first single broke down racial barriers and became the first song by a black musician to be played by white radio stations in South Africa and he won the Sarie Award, South Africa's equivalent to the Grammy Awards.
His vigorous commitment to his music bore fruits with his self-titled debut album that received a Grammy nomination for the pop hit "Lies", an instrumental "Going Home" and a mid-tempo ballad "Sarah Sarah".
Other than his love for jazz music he is a religious and spiritual man who dedicated his life to being a devoted father and grandfather and a caring citizen of his homeland South Africa.
Despite all the hardships he has gone through, Jonathan has an air of playfulness and resilience that is visible in his outstanding performance.
Jonathan will be performing at the Jazz Festival organized by Radio Africa events on the 28th of this month at the Bomas of Kenya.
To buy a ticket simply go to the link https://ticketyetu.com/r/kwc
Couple tickets go for 8000 shillings, Advanced tickets go for 4500 shillings and a gate pass goes for 6500 shillings. See you all there Jazz fans.
Nairobi International Jazz Festival.
According to Radio Africa Events, 15% of all ticket sales will go to the Twa Trust which provides emotional, physical, and financial support to people diagnosed with cancer.
Other acts who will be performing at the Festival include; Beathogs Band, Jacob Asiyo & Friends, and Hornsphere.
The festival promises to be a night filled with rhythm, harmony, and improvisation that will transport you to the golden era of this timeless genre.
Feel free to dress in your favorite jazz-inspired attire, whether it's a dapper suit, a classy cocktail dress, or a vintage jazz look.
