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Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was
an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, Curtis Mayfield
and one of the most influential musicians behind soul and
politically conscious African-American music.[5][6] He first
achieved success and recognition with the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame-inducted group The Impressions during the civil rights
movement of the late 1950s and 1960s, and later worked as a solo
artist.

Mayfield started his musical career in a gospel choir. Moving to

the North Side of Chicago, he met Jerry Butler in 1956 at the age
of 14, and joined the vocal group The Impressions. As a
songwriter, Mayfield became noted as one of the first musicians
to bring more prevalent themes of social awareness into soul
music. In 1965, he wrote "People Get Ready" for the Impressions, Mayfield performing for Dutch
which was ranked at no. 24 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 television in 1972
Greatest Songs of All Time.[7] The song received numerous other Background information
awards, and was included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 500
Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll,[8] as well as being inducted Birth name Curtis Lee
into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. Mayfield
Born June 3, 1942

After leaving the Impressions in 1970 in the pursuit of a solo Chicago, Illinois,
career, Mayfield released several albums, including the
U.S.
soundtrack for the blaxploitation film Super Fly in 1972. The
soundtrack was noted for its socially conscious themes, mostly Died December 26,
addressing problems surrounding inner city minorities such as 1999 (aged 57)

crime, poverty and drug abuse. The album was ranked at no. 72 Roswell,
on Rolling Stone's list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[9] Georgia, U.S.

Mayfield was paralyzed from the neck down after lighting Genres Soul · R&B ·
equipment fell on him during a live performance at Wingate Field funk[1] ·
in Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York, on August 13, 1990.[10] Despite progressive
this, he continued his career as a recording artist, releasing his soul[2] · gospel[3]
final album New World Order in 1996. Mayfield won a Grammy · psychedelic
Legend Award in 1994 and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement soul[4]
Award in 1995.[11] He is a double inductee into the Rock and Roll
Occupation(s) Singer-
Hall of Fame, as a member of the Impressions in 1991, and again
songwriter ·
in 1999 as a solo artist. He was also a two-time Grammy Hall of
Fame inductee. He died from complications of type 2 diabetes at guitarist · record
the age of 57 on December 26, 1999.[12] producer
Instruments Vocals · guitar ·
piano ·
Contents keyboards
Years active 1956–1999
Early life
Labels Curtom · Warner
Career
Bros. · Rhino
The Impressions
Associated acts The Impressions
Solo career
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Social activism · Jerry Butler

Life-changing accident
Final years
Personal life
Death
Musical legacy
Influence
Accolades
Rolling Stone rankings
Awards and nominations
Hall of Fame
Grammy Awards
Grammy Hall of Fame
Discography
Filmography
References
External links

Early life
Curtis Lee Mayfield was born on June 3, 1942, in the Cook County hospital in Chicago, Illinois,[13] the
son of Marion Washington and Kenneth Mayfield, one of five children.[14][15] Mayfield's father left
the family when Curtis was five; his mother (and maternal grandmother) moved the family into
several Chicago public housing projects before settling in Cabrini–Green during his teen years.
Mayfield attended Wells Community Academy High School before dropping out his second year. His
mother taught him piano and, along with his grandmother, encouraged him to enjoy gospel music. At
the age of seven he sang publicly at his aunt's church with the Northern Jubilee Gospel Singers.[16]

Mayfield received his first guitar when he was ten, later recalling that he loved his guitar so much he
used to sleep with it.[11] He was a self-taught musician, but he grew up admiring blues singer Muddy
Waters and Spanish guitarist Andres Segovia.[11]

When he was 14 years old he formed the Alphatones when the Northern Jubilee Gospel Singers
decided to try their luck in downtown Chicago and Mayfield stayed behind. Fellow group member
Sam Gooden was quoted "It would have been nice to have him there with us, but of course, your
parents have the first say."

Later in 1956, he joined his high school friend Jerry Butler's group The Roosters with brothers Arthur
and Richard Brooks.[11] He wrote and composed songs for this group who would become The
Impressions two years later.

Career

The Impressions

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Mayfield's career began in 1956 when he joined the Roosters with Arthur and Richard Brooks and
Jerry Butler.[17] Two years later the Roosters, now including Sam Gooden, became the
Impressions.[17] The band had two hit singles with Butler, "For Your Precious Love" and "Come Back
My Love", then Butler left. Mayfield temporarily went with him, co-writing and performing on
Butler's next hit, "He Will Break Your Heart", before returning to the Impressions with the group
signing for ABC Records and working with the label's Chicago-based producer/A&R manager,
Johnny Pate.[18]

Butler was replaced by Fred Cash, a returning original Roosters member, and 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 United Artists 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 up-tempo "Talking about My
Baby"(Top 20) and "Woman's Got Soul".

He formed his own label, Curtom Records in Chicago in 1968 and the Impressions joined him to
continue their run of hits including "Fool For You," "This is My Country", "Choice Of Colors" 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" was their last major
hit for ABC. A Number 1 soul hit which also reached the Top 20 on Billboard s pop chart, it became
an anthem of the black power and black pride movements when it was released in late 1967,[19][20][21]
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.[22]

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 (first independent, then
distributed by Buddah then Warner Bros and finally RSO) and Thomas labels (first independent,
then distributed by Atlantic, then independent again and finally Buddah).

Among Mayfield's greatest songwriting successes were three hits that he wrote for Jerry Butler on Vee
Jay ("He Will Break Your Heart", "Find Another Girl" and "I'm A-Tellin' You"). His harmony vocals
are very prominent. He also had great success writing and arranging Jan Bradley's "Mama Didn't
Lie". Starting in 1963, he was heavily involved in writing and arranging for OKeh Records (with Carl
Davis producing), which included hits by Major Lance such as "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um" and
"The Monkey Time",[23] as well as Walter Jackson, Billy Butler and the Artistics. This arrangement
ran through 1965.

Solo career

In 1970, Mayfield left the Impressions and began a solo career. Curtom released many of Mayfield's
1970s records, as well as records by the Impressions, Leroy Hutson, the Five Stairsteps, the Staples
Singers, Mavis Staples, Linda Clifford, Natural Four, The Notations and Baby Huey and the
Babysitters. Gene Chandler and Major Lance, who had worked with Mayfield during the 1960s, also
signed for short stays at Curtom. Many of the label's recordings were produced by Mayfield.

Mayfield's first solo album, Curtis, was released in 1970, and hit the top 20, as well as being a critical
success. It pre-dated Marvin Gaye's album, What's Going On, to which it has been compared in
addressing social change.[24] The commercial and critical peak of his solo career came with Super
Fly, the soundtrack to the blaxploitation Super Fly film, which sold over 12 million copies.[11] Unlike
the soundtracks to other blaxploitation films (most notably Isaac Hayes' score for Shaft), which
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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."[25] Because of the tendency of these blaxploitation films to glorify the criminal life
of dealers and pimps to target a mostly black lower class audience, Mayfield's album set this movie
apart. With songs like "Freddie's Dead", a song that focuses on the demise of Freddie, a junkie that
was forced into "pushin' dope for the man" because of a debt that he owed to his dealer, and
"Pusherman", a song that reveals how many people in the ghetto fell victim to drug abuse, and
therefore became dependent upon their dealers, Mayfield illuminated a darker side of life in the
ghetto that these blaxploitation films often failed to criticize. However, although Mayfield's
soundtrack criticized the glorification of dealers and pimps, he in no way denied that this glorification
was occurring. When asked about the subject matter of these films he was quoted stating "I don't see
why people are complaining about the subject of these films", and "The way you clean up the films is
by cleaning up the streets."[26]

Along with 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'. The single releases
"Freddie's Dead" and "Super Fly" each sold over one million copies, and were awarded gold discs by
the R.I.A.A.[27]

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,[28] while Aretha Franklin recorded the
soundtrack for Sparkle in 1976.[29] Mayfield also worked with The Staples Singers on the soundtrack
for the 1975 film Let's Do It Again,[11] and teamed up with Mavis Staples exclusively on the 1977 film
soundtrack A Piece of the Action (both movies were part of a trilogy of films that featured the acting
and comedic exploits of Bill Cosby and Sidney Poitier and were directed by Poitier).

In 1973 Mayfield released the anti-war album Back to the World, a concept album that dealt with the
social aftermath of the Vietnam War and criticized the United States' involvement in wars across the
planet.[30] 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, People Never Give Up, author Peter Burns noted that
Mayfield has 140 songs in the Curtom vaults. Burns indicated that the songs were 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", "What's 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 Mayfield, the Impressions and Jerry Butler) and
a live performance, recorded in September 1966 by the Impressions titled Live at the Club Chicago.

In 1980, Mayfield decided to move to Atlanta with his family, closing down his recording operation in
Chicago.[11] The label had gradually reduced in size in its final two years or so with releases on the
main RSO imprint and Curtom credited as the production company. Mayfield continued to record
occasionally, keeping the Curtom name alive for a few more years, and to tour worldwide. Mayfields
song "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go" has been included as an entrance
song on every episode of the drama series The Deuce. The Deuce tells of the germination of the sex-
trade industry in the heart of New York's Times Square in the 1970s. Mayfield's career began to slow
down during the 1980s.

In later years, Mayfield's music was included in the movies I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, Hollywood
Shuffle, Friday (though not on the soundtrack album), Bend It Like Beckham, The Hangover Part II
and Short Eyes, where he had a cameo role as a prisoner.[31]
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Social activism
Mayfield sang openly about civil rights and black pride,[32] and was known "His most affecting
for introducing social consciousness into African-American music.[11] songs carried the
Having been raised in the Cabrini-Green projects of Chicago, he witnessed optimism and
many of the tragedies of the urban ghetto first hand, and was quoted saying conviction of the Rev.
Martin Luther King
"With everything I saw on the streets as a young black kid, it wasn't hard
Jr.'s most celebrated
during the later fifties and sixties for me to write my heartfelt way of how I sermons. His music
visualized things, how I thought things ought to be.” was a major influence
on many of today's
Following the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, his group the most influential rap
Impressions produced music that became the soundtrack to a summer of and hip-hop stars,
revolution. It is even said that "Keep On Pushing" became the number one from Lauryn Hill to
Public Enemy."
sing along during the Freedom Rides.[33] Black students sang their songs as
they marched to jail or protested outside their universities, while King often — Los Angeles
used "Keep On Pushing", "People Get Ready" and "We're A Winner" because Times Pop Music
of their ability to motivate and inspire marchers. Mayfield had quickly Critic Robert
become a civil rights hero with his ability to inspire hope and courage.[34] Hilburn (1999)[11]
Mayfield was unique in his ability to fuse relevant social commentary with
melodies and lyrics that instilled a hopefulness for a better future in his
listeners. He wrote and recorded the soundtrack to the 1972 blaxploitation film Super Fly with the
help of producer Johnny Pate. The soundtrack for Super Fly is regarded as an all-time great body of
work that captured the essence of life in the ghetto while criticizing the tendency of young people to
glorify the "glamorous" lifestyles of drug dealers and pimps, and illuminating the dark realities of
drugs, addiction, and exploitation.[35]

Mayfield, along with several other soul and funk musicians, spread messages of hope in the face of
oppression, pride in being a member of the black race and gave courage to a generation of people who
were demanding their human rights. He has been compared to Martin Luther King Jr. for making a
lasting impact in the civil rights struggle with his inspirational music.[11][33] By the end of the decade
Mayfield was a pioneering voice in the black pride movement, along with James Brown and Sly
Stone. Paving the way for a future generation of rebel thinkers, Mayfield paid the price, artistically
and commercially, for his politically charged music. Mayfield's "Keep On Pushing" was actually
banned from several radio stations, including WLS in his hometown of Chicago.[36] Regardless of the
persistent radio bans and loss of revenue, he continued his quest for equality right until his death.

Mayfield was also a descriptive social commentator. As the influx of drugs ravaged through black
America in the late 1960s and 1970s his bittersweet descriptions of the ghetto would serve as
warnings to the impressionable. "Freddie's Dead" is a graphic tale of street life,[34] while
"Pusherman" revealed the role of drug dealers in the urban ghettos.

Life-changing accident
On August 13, 1990, Mayfield became paralyzed from the neck down, after stage lighting equipment
fell on him at an outdoor concert at Wingate Field in Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York.[10][37]
Afterwards, though he was unable to play the guitar, he continued to compose and sing. He also
directed the recording of his last album, New World Order (1996).[11]

Mayfield's vocals were recorded, usually line-by-line, while he was lying on his back.[38]

Final years
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Mayfield received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994. In February 1998, he had to
have his right leg amputated due to diabetes. He 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 signees and labelmates the Staple Singers.

Mayfield's last appearance on record was with the group Bran Van 3000 on the song "Astounded" for
their 2000 album Discosis, recorded just before his death and released in 2001. However, his health
had steadily declined following his paralysis, so his vocals were not new but were instead lifted from
archive recordings, including "Move On Up".

Personal life
Mayfield was married twice.[12] He had 10 children from different relationships. At the time of his
death he was married to Altheida Mayfield. Together they had six children.[39]

Death
Mayfield died from complications of type 2 diabetes on December 26, 1999, at the North Fulton
Regional Hospital in Roswell, Georgia.[38] He was survived by his wife Altheida Mayfield, his mother
Mariam Jackson; 10 children; two sisters, Carolyn Falls and Judy Mayfield; a brother, Kenneth
Mayfield; and seven grandchildren.[11][40][38]

Musical legacy

Influence

Mayfield was among the first of a new wave of mainstream black R&B performing artists and
composers injecting social commentary into their work.[5] This "message music" proved immensely
popular during the 1960s and 1970s.

Mayfield taught himself how to play guitar, tuning it to the black keys of the piano, giving the guitar
an open F-sharp tuning that he used throughout his career.[41][42] 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. His guitar playing, singing, and socially aware song-writing
influenced a range of artists, including Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Tracy Chapman, Sly Stone, Marvin
Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Sinead O'Connor.[18][43][44][45]

In 2017, it was reported that Lionel Richie had secured the rights to produce a Curtis Mayfield
biographical film. In a statement he said, "I'm so grateful to be working closely with [Mayfield's
widow] Altheida Mayfield, [son] Cheaa Mayfield and the Curtis Mayfield Estate and couldn't be
happier to be moving forward on this amazing project about a one-of-a-kind music genius." Altheida
Mayfield added, "It's time to celebrate and re-evaluate Curtis' legacy. For years, too many others have
tried to claim what he alone did. He was a genius, always stood on his own."[46]

Accolades
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.

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In 2019, Super Fly was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National
Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[47]

Rolling Stone rankings

The Impressions hits, "People Get Ready" and "For Your Precious Love" are both ranked on
Rolling Stone′s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, as No. 24 and No. 327 respectively.
Mayfield is ranked No. 34 on Rolling Stone′s list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.[48]
Mayfield is ranked No. 40 on Rolling Stone′s list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.[43]
Mayfield's album Super Fly is ranked No. 69 on Rolling Stone′s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of
All Time.
Mayfield is ranked No. 78 on Rolling Stone′s list of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time.[49]
In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Mayfield No. 98 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All
Time.[50]
The Impressions' album/CD The Anthology 1961–1977 is ranked at No. 179 on Rolling Stone
magazine's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Awards and nominations

In 1972, the French Academy of Jazz awarded Mayfied's debut solo album Curtis the Prix Otis
Redding for best R&B record.[51]

Hall of Fame
1991: Along with his group the Impressions, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
1999: Mayfield was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist making him one
of the few artists to become double inductees.
1999: Mayfield was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame just prior to his death.[52]
2003: As a member of the Impressions, he was posthumously inducted into the Vocal Group Hall
of Fame.

Grammy Awards

Mayfield was nominated for eight Grammy Awards during his career.[53] He is a winner of the
prestigious Grammy Legend Award and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

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Year Nominee / work Award Result

1964 "Keep On Pushing" Best R&B Performance Nominated
1972 "Freddie's Dead" Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male Nominated
1972 "Freddie's Dead" Best R&B Song Nominated
1972 "Junkie Chase" Best R&B Instrumental Performance Nominated
1972 Superfly Best Score Written for Motion Picture or Television Special Nominated
1994 Curtis Mayfield Legend Award Won
1995 Curtis Mayfield Lifetime Achievement Award Won
1996 New World Order Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male Nominated
1997 "New World Order" Best R&B Song Nominated
1997 "Back To Living Again" Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male Nominated

Grammy Hall of Fame

Year Nominee / work Award Result

1998 "People Get Ready" (with The Impressions) Hall of Fame (Single) Inducted
1998 Super Fly Hall of Fame (Album) Inducted

Discography
Curtis (1970) Never Say You Can't Survive (1977)
Roots (1971) Short Eyes (1977)
Super Fly (1972) Do It All Night (1978)
Back to the World (1973) Heartbeat (1979)
Claudine (with Gladys Knight & the Pips) Something to Believe In (1980)
(1974) The Right Combination (with Linda Clifford)
Sweet Exorcist (1974) (1980)
Got to Find a Way (1974) Love is the Place (1982)
Let's Do It Again (1975) Honesty (1983)
There's No Place Like America Today (1975) We Come in Peace with a Message of Love
Give, Get, Take and Have (1976) (1985)
Sparkle (with Aretha Franklin) (1976) Take It to the Streets (1990)
New World Order (1996)

Filmography
Super Fly (1972) as himself
Save the Children (1973) as himself
Short Eyes (1977) as Pappy
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978) as Guest

References
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curtis-mayfield-mn0000144458/biography). AllMusic. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
2. Hoard, Christian; Brackett, Nathan, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon &
Schuster. p. 524. ISBN 9780743201698.
3. Garofalo, Reebee (2008). Rockin' Out: Popular Music in the USA. Pearson Prentice Hall. p. 179.
ISBN 9780132343053. "... it was not until the mid-1960s that the social consciousness of folk
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at the Wayback Machine, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. "…significant for the
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s-of-all-time-20110407/the-impressions-people-get-ready-20110525). Rolling Stone. Retrieved
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of-all-time-20120531/curtis-mayfield-superfly-20120524). Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 9,
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archives/la-xpm-1999-dec-27-mn-48071-story.html). Los Angeles Times. December 27, 1999.
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External links
Official Curtis Mayfield Website (http://www.CurtisMayfield.com)
Discography at Discogs (https://www.discogs.com/artist/17589-Curtis-Mayfield)
Curtis Mayfield (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0562631/) at IMDb
Curtis Mayfield (https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/125593/wp) at the TCM Movie Database
Curtis Mayfield (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7962) at Find a Grave
Curtis Mayfield (https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p4861) at AllMusic
"Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions perform 'We're a Winner' " (https://web.archive.org/web/200
80206000853/http://openvault.wgbh.org/saybrother/MLA001079/index.html%3A) for the WGBH
series, Say Brother (https://web.archive.org/web/20100306075844/http://openvault.wgbh.org/seri
es/Say%20Brother/)
Obituary from Socialist Action (https://web.archive.org/web/20120715094221/http://www.socialist
action.org/news/200001/curtis.html)
BBC Obituary (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/579113.stm)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtis_Mayfield 11/12
6/22/2021 Curtis Mayfield - Wikipedia

RBMA Radio On Demand – Across 135th Street – Volume 10 – Curtis Mayfield Tribute –
Chairman Mao (RBMA, Egotrip) (https://web.archive.org/web/20080424045050/http://rbmaradio.c
om/ARCHIVE.153.0.php?extID=0&showID=521)
Curtis Mayfield and the Impact of His Music on the Civil Rights Movement (http://www.c-spanvide
o.org/program/Curti) A Conversation with Mr. Howard Dodson and Dr. Portia K. Maultsby at the
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum
Curtis Mayfield and the Super Fly legacy – Wax Poetics (http://www.waxpoetics.com/features/arti
cles/gangster-boogie)

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