Curtis Mayfield was a soul and R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer, a pioneer of funk, and a multi-instrumentalist who played the guitar, bass, piano, saxophone, and drums. His songs, sung in falsetto, often included social commentary reflecting the social and political unheavals of the 1960s and 1970s.
Curtis Mayfield was born in Chicago in 1942. He dropped out of high school in 1956 to become lead singer for The Roosters, later renamed The Impressions, a gospel / soul and R&B group. He wrote and performed a string of hits with The Impressions, including "Gypsy Woman", "Keep On Pushin'", "People Get Ready" and "Fool For You". His song "We're A Winner", released in 1967, became an anthem of the black pride movement. Mayfield also wrote hits for several others artists, was owner of two record labels and a partner in the Curtom label.
In 1970, Mayfield left the Impressions and started recording independently for Curtom, releasing a total of eleven albums in the next decade. The commercial peak of this period was his 1972 album "Superfly", the sound track for the film of the same name. "Superfly" introduced a new style of funky soul music with a social message. Mayfield also wrote and produced the soundtracks for "Claudine", performed by Gladys Knight & The Pips, and for "Sparkle", recorded by Aretha Franklin.
In the 1980s and 1990s Curtis Mayfield continued to compose and record, often in a disco idiom, although his live performing career was cut short by an accident in 1990 that paralysed him. Curtis Mayfield died in 1999, aged 57. Mayfield's distinctive music influenced other major artists, including Jimi Hendrix, Herbie Hancock and Lenny Kravitz.
Superfly Live
It's All Right
LinksSoulWalking bio of Curtis Mayfield
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