name | Curtis Mayfield |
---|
background | solo_singer |
---|
birth name | Curtis Lee Mayfield |
---|
born | June 03, 1942Chicago, Illinois, United States |
---|
died | December 26, 1999Roswell, Georgia, United States |
---|
instrument | vocals, guitar, bass, piano, saxophone, drums |
---|
genre | Soul, funk, R&B;, Chicago soul |
---|
occupation | singer-songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist |
---|
years active | 1958–1999 |
---|
label | Curtom, Warner Bros., Rhino |
---|
associated acts | The Impressions, Jerry Butler| |
---|
notable instruments | Fender Stratocaster
}} |
---|
Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American soul, R&B;, and funk singer, songwriter, and record producer.
Best known for his anthemic music with The Impressions and for composing the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film ''Super Fly'', Mayfield is highly regarded as a pioneer of funk and of politically conscious African-American music. He was also a multi-instrumentalist who played the guitar, bass, piano, saxophone, and drums. Curtis Mayfield is a winner of both the Grammy Legend Award (in 1994) and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (in 1995), and was a double inductee into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted as a member of The Impressions into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991, and again in 1999 as a solo artist. He is also a two-time Grammy Hall of Fame inductee.
Early years and The Impressions
Born on June 3, 1942 in
Chicago,
Illinois, Mayfield was the son of Marion Washington and Kenneth Mayfield. Mayfield's father left the family when Mayfield was five and his mother moved Curtis and his siblings into various Chicago projects before settling at the
Cabrini–Green projects when Mayfield reached his teenage years. Mayfield attended
Wells Community Academy High School. He dropped out of high school early to become lead singer and songwriter for
The Impressions, then went on to a successful solo career. Perhaps most notably, Mayfield was among the first of a new wave of mainstream
African-American R&B; performing artists and
composers injecting
social commentary into their work. This "message music" became extremely popular during the 1960s and 1970s.
Two significant characteristics distinguish Mayfield's sound. First, he taught himself how to play guitar, tuning it to the black keys of the piano, thus giving him an open F-sharp tuning---F#, A#, C#, F#, A#, F#---that he used throughout his career. Second, he primarily sang in falsetto register, adding another flavor to his music. This was not unique in itself, but most singers sing primarily in the modal register.
Mayfield's career began in 1956 when he joined The Roosters with Arthur and Richard Brooks and Jerry Butler. Two years later The Roosters, now including also Sam Gooden, became The Impressions. The band had one big hit with "For Your Precious Love". After Butler left the group and was replaced with Fred Cash,(a returning original Roosters member), Mayfield became lead singer, frequently composing for the band, starting with "Gypsy
Woman", a Top 20 Pop hit. Their hit "Amen," (Top 10) ,an updated version of an old gospel tune, was included in the soundtrack of the 1963 MGM film ''Lilies of the Field'', which starred Sidney Poitier. The Impressions reached the height of their popularity in the mid-to-late-'60s with a string of Mayfield compositions that included "Keep on Pushing," "People Get Ready", "It's All Right" (Top 10),the uptempo "Talking about My Baby"(Top 20) , "Woman's Got Soul", "Choice of Colors,"(Top 20), "Fool For You," "This is My Country" and "Check Out Your Mind." Mayfield had written much of the soundtrack of the civil rights movement in the early 1960s, but by the end of the decade he was a pioneering voice in the black pride movement along with James Brown and Sly Stone. Mayfield's "We're a Winner", a Number 1 soul hit which also reached the Billboard pop Top 20, became an anthem of the black power and black pride movements when it was released in late 1967, much as his earlier "Keep on Pushing" (whose title is quoted in the lyrics of "We're a Winner" and also in "Move on up") had been an anthem for Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement.
Mayfield was a prolific songwriter in Chicago even outside his work for The Impressions, writing and producing scores of hits for many other artists. He also owned the Mayfield and Windy C labels which were distributed by Cameo-Parkway, and was a partner in the Curtom label (first independent, then distributed by Buddha then Warner Bros and finally RSO.)
Solo career
In 1970, Mayfield left The Impressions and began a solo career, founding the
independent record label Curtom Records. Curtom would go on to release most of Mayfield's landmark 1970s records, as well as records by the Impressions, Leroy Hutson,
The Staple Singers,
Mavis Staples, and
Baby Huey and the Babysitters, a group which at the time included
Chaka Khan. Many of these records were also
produced by Mayfield.
The commercial and critical peak of his solo career came with his music album ''Super Fly'', the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film of the same name, and one of the most influential albums in African-American history. Unlike the soundtracks to other blaxploitation films (most notably Isaac Hayes' score for ''Shaft''), which glorified the ghetto excesses of the characters, Mayfield's lyrics consisted of hard-hitting commentary on the state of affairs in black, urban ghettos at the time, as well as direct criticisms of several characters in the film. Bob Donat wrote in ''Rolling Stone'' Magazine in 1972 that while the film's message "was diluted by schizoid cross-purposes" because it "glamorizes machismo-cocaine consciousness... the anti-drug message on [Mayfield's soundtrack] is far stronger and more definite than in the film." Along with Marvin Gaye's ''What's Going On'' and Stevie Wonder's ''Innervisions'', this album ushered in a new socially conscious, funky style of popular soul music. He was dubbed 'The Gentle Genius' to reflect his outstanding and innovative musical output with the constant presence of his soft yet insistent vocals. The single releases "Freddie's Dead" and "Super Fly" both sold over one million copies each, and were awarded gold discs by the R.I.A.A.
''Super Fly'' brought success that resulted in Mayfield being tapped for additional soundtracks, some of which he wrote and produced while having others perform the vocals. Gladys Knight & the Pips recorded Mayfield's soundtrack for ''Claudine'' in 1974, while Aretha Franklin recorded the soundtrack for ''Sparkle'' in 1976. Mayfield worked with Mavis Staples on the 1977 soundtrack for the film ''A Piece of the Action''. He was in danger of overreaching himself being writer, producer, performer, arranger, and businessman but seemed to cope and still produce a remarkable output.
One of Mayfield's most successful funk-disco meldings was the 1977 hit "Do Do Wap is Strong in Here" from his soundtrack to the Robert M. Young film of Miguel Piñero's play ''Short Eyes''. In his 2003 biography of Curtis Mayfield, titled "People Never Give Up", author Peter Burns noted that Curtis has 140 songs in the Curtom vaults. Burns indicated that the songs maybe already completed or in the stages of completion, so that they could then be released commercially. These recordings include "The Great Escape", "In The News", "Turn up the Radio", "Whats The Situation?" and one recording labelled "Curtis at Montreux Jazz Festival 87". Two other albums, featuring Curtis Mayfield present in the Curtom vaults and as yet unissued are, a 1982/83 live recording titled "25th Silver Anniversary" (which features performances by Curtis, The Impressions and Jerry Butler) and a live performance, recorded in September 1966 by The Impressions titled 'Live at the Club Chicago'.
In later years, Mayfield's music would be featured in the movies ''I'm Gonna Git You Sucka'', ''Hollywood Shuffle'', and ''Friday'' (though not on the soundtrack). Mayfield was also in the 1977 movie Short Eyes.
Later years
Mayfield was active throughout the 1970s and 1980s, though he had a somewhat lower public profile in the 1980s. On August 13, 1990, Mayfield was
paralyzed from the neck down after stage lighting equipment fell on him at an outdoor concert at Wingate Field in
Flatbush,
Brooklyn, New York. The accident set him back, but Mayfield forged ahead. He was unable to play guitar, but he wrote, sang, and directed the recording of his last album, ''New World Order''. Mayfield's vocals were painstakingly recorded, usually line-by-line while lying on his back.
Mayfield received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995. In February, 1998, he had to have his right leg amputated due to diabetes. Mayfield was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on March 15, 1999. Health reasons prevented him from attending the ceremony, which included fellow inductees Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Dusty Springfield, George Martin, and 1970s Curtom signee and labelmate The Staple Singers.
His last appearance on record was with the group Bran Van 3000 on the song "Astounded" for their album ''Discosis'', recorded just before his death and released in 2001.
Death
Curtis Mayfield died on December 26, 1999 at the North Fulton Regional Hospital in
Roswell, Georgia due to his steadily declining health subsequent to his paralysis.
Awards and legacy
Mayfield has left a remarkable legacy for his introduction of social consciousness into
R&B; and for pioneering the
funk style. Many of his recordings with the Impressions became anthems of the
Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, and his most famous album, ''Super Fly'', is regarded as an all-time great that influenced many and truly invented a new style of modern black music.
Mayfield's solo Super Fly is ranked #69 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time).
The Impressions' album/CD The Anthology 1961–1977 is ranked at #179 on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of all time.
As a member of The Impressions, he was posthumously inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003.
Along with his group The Impressions, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991.
In 1999, he was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist making him one of the few artists to be a double inductee.
Posthumously, in 2000, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
He was a winner of the prestigious Grammy Legend Award in 1994.
He received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995.
He is a 2-time Grammy Hall of Fame inductee: for the song ''People Get Ready'' with The Impresssions, and for the award-winning album Super Fly as a solo artist.
The Impressions' 1965 hit song, "People Get Ready", composed by Mayfield, has been chosen as one of the Top 10 Best Songs Of All Time by a panel of 20 top industry songwriters and producers, including Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson, Hal David, and others, as reported to Britain's Mojo music magazine.
The Impressions hits,''For Your Precious Love'' and ''People Get Ready'' are both ranked on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the ''500 Greatest Songs of All Time'', as #24 and #327 respectively.
In 2004, ''
Rolling Stone'' magazine ranked Mayfield #99 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
Filmography
''Short Eyes'' (1977) (Role - Pappy)
''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (film)'' (1978) (Role - Guest)
Discography
Studio albums
''Curtis'' (1970)
''Roots'' (1971)
''Back to the World'' (1973)
''Got to Find a Way'' (1974)
''Sweet Exorcist'' (1974)
''There's No Place Like America Today'' (1975)
''Give, Get, Take and Have'' (1976)
''Never Say You Can't Survive'' (1977)
''Do It All Night'' (1978)
''Heartbeat'' (1979)
''Something to Believe In'' (1980)
''The Right Combination'' (with Linda Clifford) (1980)
''Love is the Place'' (1982)
''Honesty'' (1983)
''We Come in Peace with a Message of Love'' (1985)
''Take It to the Streets'' (1990)
''New World Order'' (1997)
Soundtrack albums
''Super Fly'' (1972)
''Claudine'' (1974)
''Let's Do It Again'' (1975)
''Sparkle'' (1976)
''A Piece of the Action'' (1977)
''Short Eyes'' (1977)
''The Return of Superfly'' (1990)
Live albums
''Curtis/Live!'' (1971)
''Curtis in Chicago'' (1973)
''Live in Europe'' (1988)
''Live at Ronnie Scott's'' (1988)
Compilations
''The Anthology 1961-1977'' (1992)
''People Get Ready: The Curtis Mayfield Story'' (1996)
''Get Down to the Funky Groove'' (1996) [Charly]
''The Very Best of Curtis Mayfield'' (1997)
''Beautiful Brother. The Essential Curtis Mayfield'' (2000)
''Soul Legacy'' (2001)
''Greatest Hits'' (2006)
Chart hits by other artists written by Mayfield
Mayfield was a prolific composer. In addition to writing or co-writing almost all of the hit singles he had as a member of The Impressions and as a solo artist, Mayfield also wrote (and sometimes produced) numerous hits for other artists. The following is a list of chart hits, arranged chronologically, that were written (or co-written) by Curtis Mayfield and performed by artists other than Mayfield and/or The Impressions:
{|class=wikitable
|-
! Year
! Title
! Artist
! US R&B;
! US Pop
! UK
|-
| 1960
| "He Will Break Your Heart"
| Jerry Butler
|
1
| 7
| -
|-
| 1961
| "Find Another Girl"
| Jerry Butler
| 10
| 27
| -
|-
| 1961
| "I'm A-Telling You"
| Jerry Butler
| 8
| 25
| -
|-
| 1963
| "Mama Didn't Lie"
| Jan Bradley
| 8
| 14
| -
|-
| 1963
| "Mama Didn't Lie"
| The Fascinations
| -
| 108
| -
|-
| 1963
| "The Monkey Time"
| Major Lance
| 2
| 8
| -
|-
| 1963
| "Hey Little Girl"
| Major Lance
| 12
| 13
| -
|-
| 1963
| "Rainbow"
| Gene Chandler
| 11
| 47
| -
|-
| 1963
| "Found True Love"
| Billy Butler & The Four Enchanters
| -
| 134
| -
|-
| 1963
| "Man's Temptation"
| Gene Chandler
| 17
| 71
| -
|-
| 1964
| "Think Nothing About It"
| Gene Chandler
| 28*
| 107
| -
|-
| 1964
| "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um"
| Major Lance
| 1*
| 5
| 40
|-
| 1964
| "Just Be True"
| Gene Chandler
| 4*
| 19
| -
|-
| 1964
| "Gotta Get Away"
| Billy Butler & The Enchanters
| 38*
| 101
| -
|-
| 1964
| "It Ain't No Use"
| Major Lance
| 33*
| 68
| -
|-
| 1964
| "Girls"
| Major Lance
| 25*
| 68
| -
|-
| 1964
| "It's Too Late"
| Walter Jackson
| 10*
| 67
| -
|-
| 1964
| "Nevertheless"
| Billy Butler & The Chanters
| -
| 102
| -
|-
| 1964
| "Need To Belong"
| Jerry Butler
| 2*
| 31
| -
|-
| 1964
| "Bless Our Love"
| Gene Chandler
| 4*
| 39
| -
|-
| 1964
| "Rhythm"
| Major Lance
| 3*
| 24
| -
|-
| 1965
| "Rainbow '65 (Part I)"
| Gene Chandler
| 2
| 69
| -
|-
| 1965
| "Sometimes I Wonder"
| Major Lance
| 13
| 64
| -
|-
| 1965
| "I Can't Work No Longer"
| Billy Butler & The Chanters
| 6
| 60
| -
|-
| 1965
| "Come See"
| Major Lance
| 20
| 40
| -
|-
| 1965
| "What Now"
| Gene Chandler
| 18
| 40
| -
|-
| 1965
| "Ain't It a Shame"
| Major Lance
| 20
| 91
| -
|-
| 1965
| "Nothing Can Stop Me"
| Gene Chandler
| 3
| 18
| 41**
|-
| 1965
| "(I've Got A Feeling) You're Gonna Be Sorry"
| Billy Butler
| -
| 103
| -
|-
| 1965
| "You Can't Hurt Me No More"
| Gene Chandler
| 40
| 92
| -
|-
| 1966
| "He Will Break Your Heart"
| The Righteous Brothers
| -
| 91
| -
|-
|1966
|"Say It Isn't So"
|The Fascinations
| 47
|-
|-
|-
|1967
|"Girls Are Out To Get You"
|The Fascinations
| 13
| 92
|32**
|-
|1967
|"I'm In Love"
|The Fascinations
| 47
|-
|-
|-
|1967
|"Danger! She's A Stranger"
|The Five Stairsteps
| 16
| 89
|-
|-
|1968
|"Don't Change Your Love"
|The Five Stairsteps
| 15
| 59
|-
|-
|1969
|"Baby Make Me Feel So Good"
|The Five Stairsteps
| 12
| 101
|-
|-
|1969
|"We Must Be In Love"
|The Five Stairsteps
| 17
| 88
|-
|-
|1969
|"I Thank You Baby"
|June & Donnie (Donny Hathaway & June Conquest)
| 45
| -
|-
|-
|1969
|"Stay Close To Me"
|The Five Stairsteps
| -
| 91
|-
|-
|1970
|"Gypsy Woman"
|Brian Hyland
| -
|3
|42
|-
| 1970
| "Stay Away From Me (I Love You Too Much)"
| Major Lance
| 13
| 67
| -
|-
| 1970
| "Must Be Love Coming Down"
| Major Lance
| 31
| 119
| -
|-
|1970
|"I'm So Proud"
|The Main Ingredient
| 13
|49
|-
|-
|1972
|"I Thank You"Reissue of 1969 recording "I Thank You Baby", with shorter title and modified artist credit.
|Donny Hathaway & June Conquest
| 41
| 92
|-
|-
| 1974
| "{It's Gonna Be} A Long, Long Winter"
|Linda Clifford
|align="center"| 75
|align="center"| -
|align="center"| -
|-
| 1974
| "On and On" (from ''Claudine'')
|Gladys Knight & The Pips
|align="center"| 2
|align="center"| 5
|align="center"| -
|-
| 1974
| "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um" New version
| Major Lance
| 59
| -
| -
|-
| 1975
| align="left"| "Let's Do It Again"
|The Staple Singers
| 1
| 1
| –
|-
| 1975
| "He Don't Love You (Like I Love You)"
| Tony Orlando & Dawn
| -
| 1
| -
|-
| 1976
| align="left"| "New Orleans"
|The Staple Singers
| 4
| 70
| –
|-
| 1976
| "Something He Can Feel"
|Aretha Franklin
|align="center"| 1
|align="center"| 28
|align="center"| -
|-
| 1976
| "Jump"
|Aretha Franklin
|align="center"| 17
|align="center"| 72
|align="center"| -
|-
| 1976
|"Hooked On Your Love"
|Aretha Franklin
|align="center"| 17
|align="center"| -
|align="center"| -
|-
| 1976
|"Look Into Your Heart"
|Aretha Franklin
|align="center"| 10
|align="center"| 82
|align="center"| -
|-
| 1977
| align="left"| "A Piece Of The Action"
|Mavis Staples
| 47
| -
| -
|-
| 1977
| "It's Too Late" New version
| Walter Jackson
| 75
| -
| -
|-
| 1977
| "Curious Mind (Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um)"
| Johnny Rivers
|
| 41
|
|-
| 1978
|"More Than Just A Joy"
|Aretha Franklin
|align="center"| 51
|align="center"| -
|align="center"| -
|-
| 1979
| "Between You Baby And Me"
|Linda Clifford
|align="center"| 14
|align="center"| -
|align="center"| -
|-
| 1983
| "I'm So Proud"
|Deniece Williams
|align="center"| 28
|align="center"| -
|align="center"| -
|-
| 1984
| "One Love/People Get Ready"
|Bob Marley & The Wailers
|align="center"| -
|align="center"| -
|align="center"| 5
|-
| 1985
| "People Get Ready"
|Jeff Beck & Rod Stewart
|align="center"| -
|align="center"| 48
|align="center"| 49
|-
| 1992
| "Giving Him Something He Can Feel"
|En Vogue
|align="center"| 1
|align="center"| 6
|align="center"| 16
|-
| 1994
| "I'm So Proud"
|The Isley Brothers
|align="center"| 64
|align="center"| -
|align="center"| -
|}
* ''Billboard magazine did not publish an R&B; chart during 1964; these chart positions are from Cashbox magazine.''
** ''This hit charted three to four years later in the UK.''
References
External links
"Curtis Mayfield and The Impressions perform 'We're a Winner' " for the WGBH series, Say Brother
Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time
Obituary from Socialist Action
BBC Obituary
RBMA Radio On Demand - Across 135th Street - Volume 10 - Curtis Mayfield Tribute - Chairman Mao (RBMA, Egotrip)
Entry in New Georgia Encyclopedia
Curtis Mayfield and the Impact of His Music on the Civil Rights Movement A Conversation with Mr. Howard Dodson and Dr. Portia K. Maultsby at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum
Category:1942 births
Category:1999 deaths
Category:African American guitarists
Category:African American singer-songwriters
Category:American bass guitarists
Category:American drummers
Category:American funk guitarists
Category:American funk bass guitarists
Category:American jazz guitarists
Category:American jazz bass guitarists
Category:American funk saxophonists
Category:American funk singers
Category:American male singers
Category:American multi-instrumentalists
Category:American pianists
Category:American record producers
Category:American rhythm and blues guitarists
Category:American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters
Category:American soul guitarists
Category:American soul singers
Category:Musicians from Chicago, Illinois
Category:Deaths from diabetes
Category:English-language singers
Category:Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners
Category:Charly Records artists
Category:People with quadriplegia
Category:Rhythm and blues drummers
Category:Rhythm and blues pianists
Category:Rhythm and blues saxophonists
Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees
Category:Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees
Category:The Impressions members
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