Curtis Mayfield

Curtis Mayfield was one of the key figures of 60s and 70s soul and funk music: in the same ballpark of influence as Sly Stone, Isaac Hayes and Smokey Robinson. As a singer he had a distinctive falsetto style; as a songwriter he was at the forefront of putting social commentary into soul music, while creating a new brand of funk; and as a producer, he led the style known as 'Chicago Soul' and injected his funky visions into later versions of it.

Mayfield made his first musical impact as the lead singer and songwriter of The Impressions. Originally formed with Jerry Butler as the leader, Mayfield took over when Butler departed in 1962. Under Mayfield's guidance, The Impressions had a string of hit singles: "Gypsy Woman", "It's All Right", "Keep On Pushing", "People Get Ready", "We're a Winner" and "Choice of Colours". These latter few are particularly notable for their social consciousness: the Impressions were a popular act promoting pride among African-Americans.

In 1970 Mayfield left the Impressions to pursue a solo career (though he would continue to write and produce for his previous bandmates). Debut album Curtis showed off his new unique solo style and included the famous tracks "Move On Up" and "(Don't Worry) If There's A Hell Below, We're All Going To Go". His live album the following year was also received well and is now regarded as one of the best live soul albums ever released. It was followed quickly by Roots, which continued his lyrical themes of hoping for peace and understanding with tracks like "Beautiful Brother Of Mine". His biggest success, both commercially and artistically, was to follow in 1972 when he soundtracked the blaxploitation film Superfly. As Marvin Gaye had done the previous year with What's Going On, Superfly discussed the problems of inner-city street life for poor black Americans: poverty, pimps and prostitution, drugs, dealers and death. Boosted by two hit singles ("Freddie's Dead" and "Superfly"), it was a massive success that won Mayfield soundtracking commissions for years to come. Astutely observed, darkly funky and beautifully arranged, Superfly remains the greatest blaxploitation soundtrack album ever recorded and one of the landmark albums of that decade.

Unfortunately Mayfield struggled to repeat the trick with his following solo albums, with only There's No Place Like America Today (1975) coming close to the quality of Superfly or the preceding albums. However, he continued to produce for other artists such as Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin, and his former bandmate Jerry Butler.

In 1990 Mayfield was paralysed after being hit by a lighting rig while performing in New York. His health deteriorated due to diabetes throughout the 90s, and on Boxing Day 1999, he died at the age of 57.