 |
| Curtis Mayfield |
| Born: 6-3-1942 Died: 12-26-1999 ...from complications of diabetes and paralysis. |
| Born in Chicago on June 3, 1942, he was 14 when he formed his first group, The Roosters, with Arthur and Richard Brooks and Jerry Butler. Four years later The Roosters became The Impressions and their 1958 single, "For Your Precious Love," went to number 11 in the U.S. Butler, who had sung lead on the record, split to start a solo career. Mayfield, while keeping The Impressions together, continued to write for and tour with Butler before The Impressions got their next Top 20 hit in 1961, "Gypsy Woman." Other hits followed including "Find Yourself Another Girl" and "He Will Break Your Heart." With Mayfield singing lead and playing guitar, The Impressions had 14 Top 40 hits in the 1960's (five made the Top 20 in 1964 alone), and released some above-average albums during that period as well. Mayfield became known as a civil rights hero as well as a respected entertainer; 1964's "Keep On Pushing" is credited with broadening the parameters of black music to include a political perspective, at a time when it was dominated by love songs and dance records. Given Mayfield's prodigious talents, it was perhaps inevitable that he would eventually leave The Impressions to begin a solo career, as he did in 1970. His first few singles boasted a harder, more funk-driven sound; singles like "(Don't Worry) If There's A Hell Below, We're All Gonna Go" found him confronting ghetto life with a realism that had rarely been heard on record. He really didn't hit his artistic or commercial stride as a solo artist, though, until "Superfly," his soundtrack to the 1972 blaxploitation film. "Superfly," with it's title hit (#-8) and "Freddie's Dead" (#-4) stands as his crowning achievement. The late 1970's saw him produce for other artists, among them Gladys Knight and Aretha Franklin. His own output include the hits "Kung Fu," "So In Love" and "Only You Babe." His local label Curtom also entered the disco market, producing 12" singles for himself, "No Goodbyes," and other artists like Linda Clifford, "Runaway Love" and "If My Friends Could See Me Now." Mayfield had a couple of hits in the early 1980's, but the decade generally found his commercial fortunes in a steady downward spiral, despite some intermittent albums. On August 14, 1990, he became paralyzed from the neck down when a lighting rig fell on top of him at a concert in Brooklyn, NY. In 1998 diabetes caused his right leg to be amputated. After his accident in 1990, he was unable to perform until 1997, when he released the "New World Order" album. Although it was a vocal-only album, the accident left him unable to perform any instruments, it did quite well. In March 1999, Mayfield was inducted into the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" but he was too ill to attend the ceremony. It was the second time he had been inducted into the U.S. rock establishment's elite list. His first induction was as part of The Impressions. In 1995 he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement award to go with the Grammy Legend award he was presented with the previous year. His long-time manager and business partner, Marv Heiman, said Mayfield knew he was leaving behind a legacy that helped to improve the world around him. "He wanted people to think about themselves and the world around them, making this a better place for everyone to live," he said. Mayfield is survived by his wife Altheida, ten children and seven grandchildren. And has left us a legacy of music for generations to come to enjoy. |
 |