Comprehensive information and links about Curtis Mayfield

Curtis Mayfield B singer, songwriter and guitarist probably best known for his soundtrack to the blaxploitation film

Early years and the Impressions

Born in Chicago, Illinois, where he attended Roosevelt High School, Mayfield came to prominence as 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 RB performing artists and composers who injected social commentary into their work. This "message music" became extremely popular during the period of political ferment and social upheaval of the 1960s and '70s.

Mayfield taught himself how to play guitar, and by instinct he tuned the guitar to the black keys of the piano, which gave him the distinctive open F-sharp tuning -- F#, A#, C#, F#, A#, F# -- that he used throughout his career.

Mayfield's career began in 1958 (see 1958 in music) (<insert>"he was 14 when he formed The Roosters with Arthur and Richard Brooks and Jerry Butler. Four years later The Roosters became The Impressions and their single, For Your Precious Love, went to number 11 in the US. Other hits followed including Gypsy Woman, Find Yourself Another Girl and He Will Break Your Heart. " quote from http:579113.stm so his career actually began in 1956)

, when he formed The Impressions with Jerry Butler, Sam Gooden, Richard Brooks, and Arthur Brooks. The band had hits with "For Your Precious Love" and "Gypsy Woman." After Butler left the group and was replaced with Fred Cash, Mayfield became lead singer, frequently composing for the band, as well. "Amen", an updated version of an old gospel tune, was included in the soundtrack of 1963 MGM film of their popularity in the mid to late 1960s, with a string of Mayfield compositions that included "Keep On Pushin'", "People Get Ready", "Choice of Colors", "This is My Country", and "We People Who Are Darker than Blue." Mayfield's "We're a Winner" became a virtual anthem of the black power and black pride movements.

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, and 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 1972 album , the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film of the same name, and one of the most influential albums in history. Mayfield's lyrics included hard-hitting commentary on the state of affairs in black, urban ghettos at the time, previously unheard of in blaxploitation films. Bob Donat (1972), wrote in 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 success lead to Mayfield being tapped for two more blaxploitation soundtracks, which he wrote and produced while having others perform the vocals. Gladys Knight

Later years

Mayfield was active throughout the 1970s and 1980s, though he had a somewhat lower public profile. On August 14, 1990, Mayfield was paralyzed from the neck down after stage lighting equipment fell on him at a concert in Brooklyn, New York. This tragedy set him back, but Mayfield forged ahead. He was unable to play guitar, but he wrote, sang and directed the recording of his comeback Mayfield's vocals were painstakingly recorded, usually line-by-line.

In 1998, he had to have his right leg amputated due to diabetes. Mayfield died on December 26, 1999 in Roswell, Georgia. As a member of The Impressions, Mayfield was posthumously inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003.