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As a member of the Impressions — which he formed with his adolescent friend Curtis Mayfield, who took over as the group’s lead singer when Butler left in 1960 — Butler was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1991, half a decade after he was elected to a spot on the Cook County Board of Commissioners.

He and Mayfield sang together in church and toured as members of a gospel outfit before starting the Impressions.

After leaving the Impressions in Mayfield’s care — the group went on to help soundtrack the civil rights movement with such songs as “Keep on Pushing” and “People Get Ready” — Butler topped the R&B chart on his own with “He Will Break Your Heart,” which he co-wrote with Mayfield and featured Mayfield on guitar and backing vocals.

Butler briefly reunited with the Impressions in the early ’80s — Mayfield died in 1999 at age 57 — and he continued to perform amid his duties as a politician.

On a rainy Wednesday morning, 63-year-old Jim Mayfield circled the Pasadena Convention Center walking his two dogs, Monkey and Cocoa.