Curtis Lee Mayfield was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soulSoul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, R&B, and
funkFunk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
singer, songwriter, and record producer.
He is best known for his anthemic music with The Impressions during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's and for composing the soundtrack to the
blaxploitationBlaxploitation or blacksploitation is a film genre which emerged in the United States circa 1970. It is considered an ethnic sub-genre of the general category of exploitation films. Blaxploitation films were originally made specifically for an urban black audience, although the genre's audience...
film
Super Fly, Mayfield is highly regarded as a pioneer of funk and of politically conscious African-American music. He was also a
multi-instrumentalistA multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
who played the
guitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
,
bassThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
,
pianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
,
saxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, and
drumsA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
. Curtis Mayfield is a winner of both the
Grammy Legend AwardThe Grammy Legend Award, or the Grammy Living Legend Award, is a special award of merit given to recording artists by the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards...
(in 1994) and the
Grammy Lifetime Achievement AwardThe Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded by the Recording Academy to "performers who, during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording."...
(in 1995), and was a double inductee into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted as a member of The Impressions into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991, and again in 1999 as a solo artist. He is also a two-time Grammy Hall of Fame inductee.
Early years and The Impressions
Born on June 3, 1942 in
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
,
IllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, Mayfield was the son of Marion Washington and Kenneth Mayfield. Mayfield's father left the family when Mayfield was five and his mother moved Curtis and his siblings into various Chicago projects before settling at the Cabrini–Green projects when Mayfield reached his teenage years. Mayfield attended
Wells Community Academy High SchoolWells Community Academy High School is a 4-year public high school located in the West Town neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois. Wells serves grades 9 through 12, and is a part of the Chicago Public Schools District 299...
. He dropped out of high school early to become lead singer and songwriter for
The ImpressionsThe Impressions are an American music group from Chicago, originally formed in 1958. Their repertoire includes doo-wop, gospel, soul, and R&B....
, then went on to a successful solo career. Perhaps most notably, Mayfield was among the first of a new wave of mainstream African-American
R&BRhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
performing artists and composers injecting
social commentarySocial commentary is the act of rebelling against an individual, or a group of people by rhetorical means, or commentary on social issues or society...
into their work. This "message music" became extremely popular during the 1960s and 1970s.
Two significant characteristics distinguish Mayfield's sound. First, he taught himself how to play
guitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, tuning it to the black keys of the piano, thus giving him an open F-sharp tuning---F#, A#, C#, F#, A#, F#---that he used throughout his career. Second, he primarily sang in
falsettoFalsetto is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds, in whole or in part...
register, adding another flavor to his music. This was not unique in itself, but most singers sing primarily in the
modalModal voice is the vocal register used most frequently in speech and singing in most languages. It is also the term used in linguistics for the most common phonation of vowels...
register.
Mayfield's career began in 1956 when he joined The Roosters with Arthur and Richard Brooks and
Jerry ButlerJerry Butler is an American soul singer and songwriter. He is also noted as being the original lead singer of the R&B vocal group, The Impressions, as well as a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee.Butler is also an American politician...
. Two years later The Roosters, now including also
Sam GoodenSam Gooden is an African-American soul singer. He is best known for being an original member of the successful group The Impressions from its beginnings as The Roosters in the 1950s. Sam and the group are still recording and performing...
, became
The ImpressionsThe Impressions are an American music group from Chicago, originally formed in 1958. Their repertoire includes doo-wop, gospel, soul, and R&B....
. The band had one big hit with "For Your Precious Love". After Butler left the group and was replaced with
Fred CashFred Cash is an African-American soul singer. He is best known for being a member of the successful group The Impressions, a group in which he replaced Jerry Butler in 1960. Cash was an original member of the Roosters , the group that later evolved into The Impressions. After leaving the group for...
, (a returning original Roosters member), 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
gospelGospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
tune, was included in the
soundtrackA soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
of the
1963The year 1963 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* June 12 - Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rex Harrison and Richard Burton premieres at the Rivoli Theatre in New York City....
MGM film
Lilies of the Field, which starred
Sidney PoitierSir Sidney Poitier, KBE is a Bahamian American actor, film director, author, and diplomat.In 1963, Poitier became the first black person to win an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Lilies of the Field...
. The Impressions reached the height of their popularity in the mid-to-late-'60s with a string of Mayfield compositions that included "
Keep on PushingKeep on Pushing is an album and song by the American soul music group The Impressions. It was the biggest album of their career, reaching the Top 10 on the Billboard Pop Album chart...
," "
People Get Ready"People Get Ready" was a 1965 single by The Impressions, and the title track from the album of the same name. The single is today the group's best-known hit, reaching number-three on the Billboard R&B Chart and number 14 on the Billboard Pop Chart...
", "It's All Right" (Top 10),the uptempo "Talking about My Baby"(Top 20) , "Woman's Got Soul", "Choice of Colors,"(Top 20), "Fool For You," "This is My Country" and "Check Out Your Mind." Mayfield had written much of the soundtrack of the
civil rights movementThe civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of civil resistance aimed at achieving change by nonviolent forms of resistance. In some situations it was...
in the early 1960s, but by the end of the decade he was a pioneering voice in the
black prideBlack pride is a slogan indicating pride in being black. Related movements include black nationalism and Afrocentrism.The slogan has been used in the United States by African Americans to celebrate heritage and personal pride. The black pride movement is closely linked with the developments of the...
movement along with
James BrownJames Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
and
Sly StoneSly Stone is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, most famous for his role as frontman for Sly & the Family Stone, a band which played a critical role in the development of soul, funk and psychedelia in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1993, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of...
. Mayfield's "
We're a Winner"We're a Winner" is a 1967 single recorded by The Impressions for the ABC-Paramount label. Written and produced by Impressions lead singer Curtis Mayfield, the song is notable as one of the most prominent popular recordings dealing with the subject of black pride...
", a Number 1 soul hit which also reached the Billboard pop Top 20, became an anthem of the
black powerBlack Power is a political slogan and a name for various associated ideologies. It is used in the movement among people of Black African descent throughout the world, though primarily by African Americans in the United States...
and black pride movements when it was released in late 1967, 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.Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
and the
Civil Rights MovementThe African-American Civil Rights Movement refers to the movements in the United States aimed at outlawing racial discrimination against African Americans and restoring voting rights to them. This article covers the phase of the movement between 1955 and 1968, particularly in the South...
.
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 label (first independent, then distributed by Buddha then Warner Bros and finally RSO.)
Solo career
In 1970, Mayfield left The Impressions and began a solo career, founding the
independentAn independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
record labelIn the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
Curtom RecordsCurtom Records was a record label started by Curtis Mayfield of The Impressions along with Impressions associate Eddie Thomas in 1968 although the name was used as early as 1963. The labels name was a combination of Mayfields first name and Thomas' surname...
. Curtom went on to release most of Mayfield's landmark 1970s records, as well as records by the Impressions,
Leroy HutsonLeroy Hutson is an American soul and R&B singer, songwriter, arranger, producer and instrumentalist, best known as former lead singer of the R&B band, which came to fame vocal group, The Impressions....
,
The Staple SingersThe Staple Singers were an American gospel, soul, and R&B singing group. Roebuck "Pops" Staples , the patriarch of the family, formed the group with his children Cleotha , Pervis , Yvonne , and Mavis...
,
Mavis StaplesMavis Staples is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress and civil rights activist who recorded with The Staple Singers, her family's band.-Biography:...
, and Baby Huey and the Babysitters, a group which at the time included
Chaka KhanChaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career...
. Many of these records were also
producedA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by Mayfield.
The commercial and critical peak of his solo career came with his
music-Events:*January 17 – Highway 51 South in Memphis, Tennessee is renamed "Elvis Presley Boulevard"*January 20 – The début of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon at The Dome, Brighton, is halted by technical difficulties,...
album
Super Fly, the
soundtrackA soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
to the
blaxploitationBlaxploitation or blacksploitation is a film genre which emerged in the United States circa 1970. It is considered an ethnic sub-genre of the general category of exploitation films. Blaxploitation films were originally made specifically for an urban black audience, although the genre's audience...
film of the same name, and one of the most influential albums in African-American history. Unlike the soundtracks to other blaxploitation films (most notably
Isaac HayesIsaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an American songwriter, musician, singer and actor. Hayes was one of the creative influences behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the...
' score for
ShaftShaft is a 1971 American blaxploitation film directed by Gordon Parks, released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. An action film with elements of film noir, Shaft tells the story of a black private detective, John Shaft, who travels through Harlem and to the Italian mob neighborhoods in order to find the...
), which glorified the ghetto excesses of the characters, Mayfield's
lyricsLyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
consisted of hard-hitting commentary on the state of affairs in black,
urbanAn urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
ghettoA ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...
s at the time, as well as direct criticisms of several characters in the film. Bob Donat wrote in
Rolling StoneRolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
Magazine in 1972 that while the film's message "was diluted by schizoid cross-purposes" because it "glamorizes
machismoMachismo, or machoism, is a word of Spanish and Portuguese origin that describes prominently exhibited or excessive masculinity. As an attitude, machismo ranges from a personal sense of virility to a more extreme male chauvinism...
-
cocaineCocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
consciousness... the anti-drug message on [Mayfield's soundtrack] is far stronger and more definite than in the film." Along with
Marvin GayeMarvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
's
What's Going OnWhat's Going On is the eleventh studio album by soul musician Marvin Gaye, released May 21, 1971, on the Motown-subsidiary label Tamla Records...
and
Stevie WonderStevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
's
InnervisionsInnervisions is the sixteenth album by American musician Stevie Wonder, released August 3, 1973 on Motown Records; a landmark recording of his "classic period"...
, this album ushered in a new
socially consciousSocial consciousness is consciousness shared within a society. It can also be defined as social awareness; to be aware of the problems that different societies and communities face on a day-to-day basis; to be conscious of the difficulties and hardships of society.- Theory :Many studies have been...
, funky style of popular
soul musicSoul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
. He was dubbed 'The Gentle Genius' to reflect his outstanding and innovative musical output with the constant presence of his soft yet insistent vocals. The single releases "
Freddie's Dead"Freddie's Dead" is a song by Curtis Mayfield. It was the first single from his 1972 soundtrack album for the film Super Fly. The single was released before the Super Fly album, and in fact before the film itself was in theaters. The song peaked at #4 on the U.S...
" and "
Super Fly"Superfly" is a song by Curtis Mayfield, the title track from his 1972 soundtrack album for the film of the same name. It was the second single released from the album, following "Freddie's Dead ", and reached #8 on the Billboard Pop chart. The lyrics celebrate the craftiness and determinaton of...
" both sold over one million copies each, and were awarded
gold discsMusic recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
by the R.I.A.A.
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 PipsGladys Knight & The Pips were an R&B/soul family musical act from Atlanta, Georgia, active from 1953 to 1989. The group was best known for their string of hit singles on Motown's "Soul" record label and Buddah Records from 1967 to 1975, including "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "Midnight...
recorded Mayfield's soundtrack for
Claudine in 1974, while
Aretha FranklinAretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
recorded the soundtrack for
SparkleSparkle is a 1976 American film directed by Sam O'Steen and released by Warner Bros. Pictures. Inspired by The Supremes, Sparkle is a period film set in Harlem, New York during the late 1950s and early 1960s which follows the rough lives and careers of singer Sparkle Williams and her family and...
in 1976. Mayfield worked with
Mavis StaplesMavis Staples is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress and civil rights activist who recorded with The Staple Singers, her family's band.-Biography:...
on the 1977 soundtrack for the film
A Piece of the ActionA Piece of the Action is a 1977 comedy crime film starring Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby. Poitier also directed the film. This was the third film pairing of Poitier and Cosby following Uptown Saturday Night and Let's Do It Again, and Poiter's last acting role for more than 10 years, as he focused...
. He was in danger of overreaching himself being writer, producer, performer, arranger, and businessman but seemed to cope and still produce a remarkable output.
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 PiñeroMiguel Piñero was a Puerto Rican playwright, actor, and co-founder of the Nuyorican Poets Café. He was a leading member of the Nuyorican literary movement.-Early years:...
's play
Short EyesShort Eyes is a 1974 drama written by playwright Miguel Piñero. The play premiered off-Broadway at the Joseph Papp Public Theater on 28 February 1974, and transferred after 54 performances to the Vivian Beaumont Theatre on Broadway on 23 May 1974...
. In his 2003 biography of Curtis Mayfield, titled "People Never Give Up", author Peter Burns noted that Curtis has 140 songs in the Curtom vaults. Burns indicated that the songs 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", "Whats 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 Curtis, The Impressions and
Jerry ButlerJerry Butler is an American soul singer and songwriter. He is also noted as being the original lead singer of the R&B vocal group, The Impressions, as well as a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee.Butler is also an American politician...
) and a live performance, recorded in September 1966 by The Impressions titled 'Live at the Club Chicago'.
In later years, Mayfield's music would be included in the movies
I'm Gonna Git You SuckaI'm Gonna Git You Sucka is a 1988 blaxploitation parody film written by, directed by and starring Keenen Ivory Wayans. Featured in the film are several black actors who were part of the blaxploitation phenomenon; including Jim Brown, Bernie Casey, Antonio Fargas and Isaac Hayes...
,
Hollywood ShuffleHollywood Shuffle is a 1987 comedy film that satirizes the racial stereotypes of African Americans in film and television. The film tracks the attempts of Bobby Taylor to become a successful actor and the mental and external roadblocks he encounters, represented through a series of interspersed...
,
FridayFriday is a 1995 stoner comedy-drama-buddy film directed by F. Gary Gray. Starring Ice Cube, Chris Tucker, Nia Long, Bernie Mac, Tommy Lister, Jr...
(though not on the soundtrack), and Short Eyes (1977) where he had a cameo role as a prisoner.
Social activism
Curtis Mayfield was known for introducing social consciousness into African American music as well as R&B and wrote songs protesting social and political equality. He had written and recorded most of the anthemic soundtracks during the
Civil Rights MovementThe civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of civil resistance aimed at achieving change by nonviolent forms of resistance. In some situations it was...
of the 1960’s and the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film
Super Fly"Super Fly" is the third 12" single by Giant Panda. It was the released by their label Tres Records . The single contains two songs from their album Fly School Reunion with their instrumental tracks as well.-Personnel:...
with The Impressions.
Super Fly"Super Fly" is the third 12" single by Giant Panda. It was the released by their label Tres Records . The single contains two songs from their album Fly School Reunion with their instrumental tracks as well.-Personnel:...
is regarded as an all-time great that influenced many and truly invented a new style of modern black music. Just as the Civil Rights Act passed into law in 1964, his group The Impressions produced music that became the soundtrack to a summer of revolution. Black students sang their songs as they marched to jail or protested outside their universities, while King often marched to the peaceful sounds of Mayfield's Keep On Pushing, People Get Ready and We're A Winner. Mayfield had quickly become a civil rights hero.
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 who were demanding their human rights. Mayfield has been compared to of Martin Luther King Jr arguably for making a greater lasting impact in the civil rights struggle with his music. By the end of the decade he 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. Irrespective of the persistent radio bans and loss of revenue, Mayfield continued his quest for equality right until his death. His lyrics on racial injustice, poverty and drugs became the poetry for a generation.
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. Determined to warn all about the perils of drugs, "Freddie's Dead" is a graphic tale of street life. After hearing the Rev. Martin Luther King deliver his "I Have a Dream" speech that August day in 1963, the crowd of 250,000 sang "We Shall Overcome." In 1965, another gospel song emerged -- "
People Get Ready"People Get Ready" was a 1965 single by The Impressions, and the title track from the album of the same name. The single is today the group's best-known hit, reaching number-three on the Billboard R&B Chart and number 14 on the Billboard Pop Chart...
" by Mayfield and the Impressions. "
Keep On PushingKeep on Pushing is an album and song by the American soul music group The Impressions. It was the biggest album of their career, reaching the Top 10 on the Billboard Pop Album chart...
" and "People Get Ready" were two songs that became embedded in the national movement for civil and social rights, heard at all the rallies and marches, songs-as-inspiration. His song "People Get Ready" was written in the year after the march on Washington's. For many, it captured the spirit of the march -- the song reaches across racial and religious lines to offer a message of redemption and forgiveness.
Mayfield produced many of the songs that helped shape and define the Black Power Movement, and exemplify the workings of music in the BPM and their 1967 song "We’re a Winner" can be seen as one defining element of the movement. Mayfield's uncompromising look at racism and his calls for black pride and economic determinism place him firmly within the BPM. Significantly, when he and his friend Eddie Thomas founded the Custom record label to protect black artists from the exploitation that they often suffered with other record labels, not only was the BPM ideal of black entrepreneurship realized but also the BPM had a record label that was synonymous with Black Power. Empowered in part by the ownership of his own label and in part by his affiliations with other artists, Mayfield presented a crucial look at American racism in "This is My Country" with lyrics that spoke of ‘three hundred years of slave driving, sweat and welts on my ‘We’re a Winner’ conveys the essential ideological message of the BPM. By the time
We're a Winner"We're a Winner" is a 1967 single recorded by The Impressions for the ABC-Paramount label. Written and produced by Impressions lead singer Curtis Mayfield, the song is notable as one of the most prominent popular recordings dealing with the subject of black pride...
was recorded, the BPM was a powerful, complex movement that incorporated politics, capitalism, internationalism and the arts that had its roots in the social circumstances and political opportunities of the post-World War II era. The title itself was a strong statement against inferiority complexes historically propagated among blacks by power brokers representing white social and cultural values, but the lyrics offer more than a critique – they offer an affirmative view of black culture that could foster mobilization and sustain political action under even threatening circumstances. Music, as exemplified by Curtis Mayfield, was to foster mobilization by presenting the political ideology of Black Power that enforced notions of black pride, but it also offered a venue for the creation of black culture that was not defined by the dominant white culture.
Later years
Mayfield was active throughout the 1970s and 1980s, though he had a somewhat lower public profile in the 1980s. On August 13, 1990, Mayfield was paralyzed from the neck down after stage lighting equipment fell on him at an outdoor concert at Wingate Field in
FlatbushFlatbush is a community of the Borough of Brooklyn, a part of New York City, consisting of several neighborhoods.The name Flatbush is an Anglicization of the Dutch language Vlacke bos ....
, Brooklyn, New York. He was unable to play guitar, but he wrote, sang, and directed the recording of his last album,
New World Order. Mayfield's vocals were painstakingly recorded, usually line-by-line while lying on his back.
Mayfield received the
Grammy Lifetime Achievement AwardThe Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded by the Recording Academy to "performers who, during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording."...
in 1995. In February, 1998, he had to have his right leg amputated due to diabetes. Mayfield 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 McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
,
Billy JoelWilliam Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
,
Bruce SpringsteenBruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
,
Dusty SpringfieldMary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'BrienSources use both Isabel and Isobel as the spelling of her second name. OBE , known professionally as Dusty Springfield and dubbed The White Queen of Soul, was a British pop singer whose career extended from the late 1950s to the 1990s...
,
George MartinSir George Henry Martin CBE is an English record producer, arranger, composer and musician. He is sometimes referred to as "the Fifth Beatle"— a title that he often describes as "nonsense," but the fact remains that he served as producer on all but one of The Beatles' original albums...
, and 1970s Curtom signee and labelmate
The Staple SingersThe Staple Singers were an American gospel, soul, and R&B singing group. Roebuck "Pops" Staples , the patriarch of the family, formed the group with his children Cleotha , Pervis , Yvonne , and Mavis...
.
His last appearance on record was with the group
Bran Van 3000Bran Van 3000 is an electronica collective from Manhattan, New York City, New York and Montreal, Quebec. Founded by DJ James Di Salvio and E.P...
on the song "Astounded" for their album
DiscosisDiscosis is the second album from Canadian group Bran Van 3000 released in summer 2001. The album features several collaborators, including Curtis Mayfield, Youssou N'Dour and reggae artist Eek-a-Mouse. The album cover was derived from an artwork by Boris Vallejo."Astounded" is the collective's...
, recorded just before his death and released in 2001.
Curtis Mayfield died on December 26, 1999 at the North Fulton Regional Hospital in
Roswell, GeorgiaRoswell is a city located in northern Fulton County; it is a suburb of northern Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The 2010 Census population was 88,346. It is the eighth largest city in Georgia...
due to his steadily declining health subsequent to his paralysis.
Awards and legacy
Mayfield has left a remarkable legacy for his introduction of social consciousness into R&B and for pioneering the
funkFunk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
style. Many of his recordings with the Impressions became anthems of the
Civil Rights MovementThe civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of civil resistance aimed at achieving change by nonviolent forms of resistance. In some situations it was...
in the 1960s, and his most famous album,
Super Fly, is regarded as an all-time great that influenced many and truly invented a new style of modern black music.
- Mayfield's solo Super Fly is ranked #69 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
"The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is the title of a 2003 special issue of American magazine Rolling Stone, and a related book published in 2005.Related news articles:...
).
- The Impressions' album/CD The Anthology 1961–1977 is ranked at #179 on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of all time.
- As a member of The Impressions, he was posthumously inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame
The Vocal Group Hall of Fame was organized to honor outstanding vocal groups throughout the world. It is headquartered in Sharon, Pennsylvania, United States. It includes a theater and a museum....
in 2003.
- Along with his group The Impressions, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
in 1991.
- In 1999, he was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist making him one of the few artists to be a double inductee.
- Posthumously, in 2000, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame
The Songwriters Hall of Fame is an arm of the National Academy of Popular Music. It was founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer and music publishers Abe Olman and Howie Richmond. The goal is to create a museum but as of April, 2008, the means do not yet exist and so instead it is an online...
.
- He was a winner of the prestigious Grammy Legend Award
The Grammy Legend Award, or the Grammy Living Legend Award, is a special award of merit given to recording artists by the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards...
in 1994.
- He received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded by the Recording Academy to "performers who, during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording."...
in 1995.
- He is a 2-time Grammy Hall of Fame inductee: for the song People Get Ready
People Get Ready may refer to:* "People Get Ready" , a song by The Impressions, covered by many artists* People Get Ready * People Get Ready * People Get Ready...
with The Impresssions, and for the award-winning album Super Fly"Super Fly" is the third 12" single by Giant Panda. It was the released by their label Tres Records . The single contains two songs from their album Fly School Reunion with their instrumental tracks as well.-Personnel:...
as a solo artist.
- 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.
- The Impressions hits, People Get Ready and For Your Precious Love are both ranked on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, as #24 and #327 respectively.
- In 2004, Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine ranked Mayfield #98 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
Filmography
Studio albums
- Curtis (1970)
- Roots
Roots is Curtis Mayfield’s second studio album, released in October 1971 .- Original release :All songs written and composed by Curtis Mayfield, except as noted.#"Get Down" – 5:45#"Keep On Keeping On" – 5:08#"Underground" – 5:15...
(1971)
- Back to the World
Back to the World is the fourth studio album by Curtis Mayfield."The World" was what US GIs in Vietnam called America, and acclimating back into the world could be a harrowing experience. Curtis Mayfield addresses this problem in the title track to his 1973 album, Back to the World...
(1973)
- Got to Find a Way
Got to Find a Way is the fifth studio album by Curtis Mayfield, released in 1974. "Ain't No Love Lost" was a particular highlight, and "Mother's Son" sees a scaling down of some of the large arrangements Curtis often utilised.-Track listing:...
(1974)
- Sweet Exorcist
Sweet Exorcist is the sixth studio album by Curtis Mayfield, released in 1974.The album was recorded at Curtom Studios, acquired by Curtis Mayfield's Curtom record label from RCA, in Chicago by R. Anfinsen and J...
(1974)
- There's No Place Like America Today
-Personnel:*Curtis Mayfield- guitar, vocals*Gary Thompson, Phil Upchurch - guitar*Joseph "Lucky" Scott - bass*Quinton Joseph - drums*Henry Gibson - percussion*Rich Tufo - arrangements...
(1975)
- Give, Get, Take and Have
Give, Get, Take and Have is a 1976 album by Curtis Mayfield.The track 'P.S. I Love You' was later featured in the film Superbad and on its accompanied soundtrack.-Track listing:All tracks composed by Curtis Mayfield...
(1976)
- Never Say You Can't Survive
Never Say You Can't Survive is a 1977 album by Curtis Mayfield.-Track Listing:All tracks composed by Curtis Mayfield...
(1977)
- Do It All Night
Do It All Night is an album by Curtis Mayfield. It incorporated many disco sounds used by other '70s guitarists. "No Goodbyes" was released a single...
(1978)
- Heartbeat
Heartbeat is an album by Curtis Mayfield. This 1979 offering mixed disco rhythms with soul balladeering. Future Temptation Ron Tyson contributed to some of the songwriting and production...
(1979)
- Something to Believe In (1980)
- The Right Combination
Curtis Mayfield’s 1980 collaboration with disco singer Linda Clifford. Originally released on Curtom, it was recorded in Chicago except "It's lovin' time" recorded in Philadelphia. The album was produced by Curtis Mayfield and Gil Askey except “Ain't No Love Lost” solely by Mayfield and “It's...
(with Linda CliffordLinda Clifford is an American R&B, disco and house music singer and actress, who scored hits from the 1970s to the 1980s, most notably "If My Friends Could See Me Now", "Bridge over Troubled Water", "Runaway Love" and "Red Light"....
) (1980)
- Love is the Place
-Track Listing:All tracks composed by Curtis Mayfield-Personnel:*Curtis Mayfield - vocals, guitar*Fred Tackett - guitar*Michael Sembello - guitar*Dennis Belfield - bass*Paulinho Da Costa - percussion*Carlos Vega - drums*Sam Small - Theremin...
(1982)
- Honesty
-Personnel:*Curtis Mayfield - vocals, guitar*Michael Ingram - percussion*Joseph Scott - bass*Rich Tufo - clavinet*William Puett - alto saxophone, flute*David Arenz - violin*Christopher Rex - cello*Frances Jeffrey - violin*Harry Hagan - trombone...
(1983)
- We Come in Peace with a Message of Love
-Track Listing:All tracks composed by Curtis Mayfield except where noted...
(1985)
- Take It to the Streets
Take It to the Streets is Curtis Mayfield's penultimate album.The track 'He's a Fly Guy' was originally featured in the film I'm Gonna Git You Sucka and it's accompanied soundtrack.-Track listing:...
(1990)
- New World Order
New World Order is Curtis Mayfield’s final album. He was paralyzed during the recording, but still managed to both sing and oversee the project. According to Australian radio station Triple J, Mayfield managed to painstakingly record his songs by laying on his back, the only way he could get enough...
(1997)
Soundtrack albums
- Super Fly (1972)
- Claudine (1974)
- Let's Do It Again (1975)
- Sparkle
Sparkle is an Aretha Franklin album, written and produced by Curtis Mayfield. The disc is the soundtrack album for the 1976 Warner Bros. motion picture Sparkle, starring Irene Cara...
(1976)
- A Piece of the Action (1977)
- Short Eyes (1977)
- The Return of Superfly
The Return of Superfly is the soundtrack to the 1990 film, The Return of Superfly. It was released on August 13, 1990 through Capitol Records and consisted of hip hop songs and songs by Curtis Mayfield...
(1990)
Live albums
- Curtis/Live!
Curtis/Live! is Curtis Mayfield’s first live album, after leaving The Impressions. Originally released in May 1971 as a double LP on Mayfield's Curtom label , the album's twelve tracks — along with Mayfield's interstitial raps on the politics of the...
(1971)
- Curtis in Chicago
Curtis in Chicago is a 1973 live album by Curtis Mayfield and others. Mayfield is joined by The Impressions, Jerry Butler, Gene Chandler and others in a review of Mayfield's then-fifteen years as a recording artist.- Track listing :...
(1973)
- Live in Europe
-Track listing:All tracks composed by Curtis Mayfield; except where indicated# Introduction# “Ice 9”# “Back to the World”# “It's Alright”/”Amen”# “Gypsy Woman”# “Freddie's Dead”# “Pusherman”# “We've Gotta Have Peace”...
(1988)
- Live at Ronnie Scott's (1988)
Compilations
- The Anthology 1961-1977
The Anthology 1961-1977 is a well-received compilation of The Impressions and Curtis Mayfield songs. The two discs stress The Impressions, and although the Mayfield solo selections are spare, they are well-chosen...
(1992)
- People Get Ready: The Curtis Mayfield Story
People Get Ready: The Curtis Mayfield Story is a three-disc box set compilation album by Curtis Mayfield. It covers his entire career up to 1996 , including several songs from his tenure with The Impressions . It was released on Curtom on February 27, 1996.-Track listing:...
(1996)
- Get Down to the Funky Groove (1996) [Charly]
- The Very Best of Curtis Mayfield
-Track listing:# “ If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go”# “The Makings of You”# “Move on Up”# “Get Down”# “We Got to Have Peace”# “Freddie's Dead ”# “Superfly”# “Pusherman”# “Future Shock”# “Can't Say Nothin'”...
(1997)
- Beautiful Brother. The Essential Curtis Mayfield (2000)
- Soul Legacy
Five years after Curtis Mayfield's box set People Get Ready: The Curtis Mayfield Story was released in the US, the UK came up with a more comprehensive collection entitled simply Soul Legacy...
(2001)
- Greatest Hits (2006)
Chart hits by other artists written by Mayfield
Mayfield was a prolific composer. In addition to writing or co-writing almost all of the hit singles he had as a member of The Impressions and as a solo artist, Mayfield also wrote (and sometimes produced) numerous hits for other artists. The following is a list of chart hits, arranged chronologically, that were written (or co-written) by Curtis Mayfield and performed by artists other than Mayfield and/or The Impressions:
| Year |
Title |
Artist |
US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
|
US Pop The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
|
UK The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
|
| 1960 |
"He Will Break Your Heart" |
Jerry Butler Jerry Butler is an American soul singer and songwriter. He is also noted as being the original lead singer of the R&B vocal group, The Impressions, as well as a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee.Butler is also an American politician...
|
1 |
7 |
- |
| 1961 |
"Find Another Girl" |
Jerry Butler |
10 |
27 |
- |
| 1961 |
"I'm A-Telling You" |
Jerry Butler |
8 |
25 |
- |
| 1963 |
"Mama Didn't Lie" |
Jan Bradley Jan Bradley is an American soul singer.Bradley grew up in Robbins, Illinois. She was noticed by manager Don Talty at a high school talent show. After graduating, she auditioned for Curtis Mayfield, and soon recorded the Mayfield-penned "We Girls", which became a hit regionally in the Midwest...
|
8 |
14 |
- |
| 1963 |
"Mama Didn't Lie" |
The Fascinations The Fascinations were an American pop vocal group most active in the mid-1960s. They are best remembered for the Curtis Mayfield-penned hit "Girls Are Out To Get You", a minor pop hit in the US in 1967 that was re-released in the UK in 1971, where it reached the top 40.-Early years :The group was...
|
- |
108 |
- |
| 1963 |
"The Monkey Time" |
Major Lance Major Lance was an American R&B singer. After a number of US hits in the 1960s, including "The Monkey Time" and "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um", he became an iconic figure in Britain in the 1970s among followers of Northern soul.-Life:Major Lance was born in Winterville, Mississippi...
|
2 |
8 |
- |
| 1963 |
"Hey Little Girl" |
Major Lance |
12 |
13 |
- |
| 1963 |
"Rainbow" |
Gene Chandler Gene Chandler also known as "The Duke of Earl" or simply "The Duke", is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, producer and record executive. He is one of the leading exponents of the 1960s Chicago soul scene...
|
11 |
47 |
- |
| 1963 |
"Found True Love" |
Billy Butler Billy Butler is an American soul singer and songwriter active principally in the 1960s and early 1970s.Butler is Jerry Butler's younger brother. He formed the vocal group The Enchanters while at high school. He first recorded for Okeh Records in 1963, and was produced initially by Curtis Mayfield...
& The Four Enchanters |
- |
134 |
- |
| 1963 |
"Man's Temptation" |
Gene Chandler |
17 |
71 |
- |
| 1964 |
"Think Nothing About It" |
Gene Chandler |
28* |
107 |
- |
| 1964 |
"Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um" |
Major Lance |
1* |
5 |
40 |
| 1964 |
"Just Be True" |
Gene Chandler |
4* |
19 |
- |
| 1964 |
"Gotta Get Away" |
Billy Butler & The Enchanters |
38* |
101 |
- |
| 1964 |
"It Ain't No Use" |
Major Lance |
33* |
68 |
- |
| 1964 |
"Girls" |
Major Lance |
25* |
68 |
- |
| 1964 |
"It's Too Late" |
Walter Jackson |
10* |
67 |
- |
| 1964 |
"Nevertheless" |
Billy Butler & The Chanters |
- |
102 |
- |
| 1964 |
"Need To Belong" |
Jerry Butler |
2* |
31 |
- |
| 1964 |
"Bless Our Love" |
Gene Chandler |
4* |
39 |
- |
| 1964 |
"Rhythm" |
Major Lance |
3* |
24 |
- |
| 1965 |
"Rainbow '65 (Part I)" |
Gene Chandler |
2 |
69 |
- |
| 1965 |
"Sometimes I Wonder" |
Major Lance |
13 |
64 |
- |
| 1965 |
"I Can't Work No Longer" |
Billy Butler & The Chanters |
6 |
60 |
- |
| 1965 |
"Come See" |
Major Lance |
20 |
40 |
- |
| 1965 |
"What Now" |
Gene Chandler |
18 |
40 |
- |
| 1965 |
"Ain't It a Shame" |
Major Lance |
20 |
91 |
- |
| 1965 |
"Nothing Can Stop Me" |
Gene Chandler |
3 |
18 |
41** |
| 1965 |
"(Gonna Be) Good Times" |
Gene Chandler |
40 |
92 |
- |
| 1965 |
"(I've Got A Feeling) You're Gonna Be Sorry" |
Billy Butler Billy Butler is an American soul singer and songwriter active principally in the 1960s and early 1970s.Butler is Jerry Butler's younger brother. He formed the vocal group The Enchanters while at high school. He first recorded for Okeh Records in 1963, and was produced initially by Curtis Mayfield...
|
- |
103 |
- |
| 1965 |
"You Can't Hurt Me No More" |
Gene Chandler |
40 |
92 |
- |
| 1966 |
"He Will Break Your Heart" |
The Righteous Brothers The Righteous Brothers were the musical duo of Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield. They recorded from 1963 through 1975, and continued to perform until Hatfield's death in 2003...
|
- |
91 |
- |
| 1966 |
"Say It Isn't So" |
The Fascinations |
47 |
- |
- |
| 1967 |
"Girls Are Out To Get You" |
The Fascinations |
13 |
92 |
32** |
| 1967 |
"I'm In Love" |
The Fascinations |
47 |
- |
- |
| 1967 |
"Danger! She's A Stranger" |
The Five Stairsteps The Five Stairsteps, known as "The First Family of Soul", were an American Chicago soul group made up of five of Betty and Clarence Burke Sr.'s six children: Alohe Jean, Clarence Jr., James, Dennis, and Kenneth "Keni", and briefly, Cubie...
|
16 |
89 |
- |
| 1968 |
"Don't Change Your Love" |
The Five Stairsteps |
15 |
59 |
- |
| 1969 |
"Baby Make Me Feel So Good" |
The Five Stairsteps |
12 |
101 |
- |
| 1969 |
"We Must Be In Love" |
The Five Stairsteps |
17 |
88 |
- |
| 1969 |
"I Thank You Baby" |
June & Donnie
(Donny HathawayDonny Edward Hathaway was an American soul singer-songwriter and musician. Hathaway contracted with Atlantic Records in 1969 and with his first single for the Atco label, "The Ghetto, Part I" in early 1970, Rolling Stone magazine "marked him as a major new force in soul music."His collaborations...
& June Conquest) |
45 |
- |
- |
| 1969 |
"Stay Close To Me" |
The Five Stairsteps |
- |
91 |
- |
| 1970 |
"Gypsy Woman" |
Brian Hyland Brian Hyland is an American pop recording artist who was particularly successful during the early 1960s. He continued recording into the 1970s...
|
- |
3 |
42 |
| 1970 |
"Stay Away From Me (I Love You Too Much)" |
Major Lance |
13 |
67 |
- |
| 1970 |
"Must Be Love Coming Down" |
Major Lance |
31 |
119 |
- |
| 1970 |
"I'm So Proud" |
The Main Ingredient |
13 |
49 |
- |
| 1972 |
"I Thank You"
Reissue of 1969 recording "I Thank You Baby", with shorter title and modified artist credit. |
Donny Hathaway Donny Edward Hathaway was an American soul singer-songwriter and musician. Hathaway contracted with Atlantic Records in 1969 and with his first single for the Atco label, "The Ghetto, Part I" in early 1970, Rolling Stone magazine "marked him as a major new force in soul music."His collaborations...
& June Conquest |
41 |
92 |
- |
| 1974 |
"{It's Gonna Be} A Long, Long Winter" |
Linda Clifford Linda Clifford is an American R&B, disco and house music singer and actress, who scored hits from the 1970s to the 1980s, most notably "If My Friends Could See Me Now", "Bridge over Troubled Water", "Runaway Love" and "Red Light"....
|
75 |
- |
- |
| 1974 |
"On and On" (from Claudine) |
Gladys Knight & The PipsGladys Knight & The Pips were an R&B/soul family musical act from Atlanta, Georgia, active from 1953 to 1989. The group was best known for their string of hit singles on Motown's "Soul" record label and Buddah Records from 1967 to 1975, including "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "Midnight...
|
2 |
5 |
- |
| 1974 |
"Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um"
New version |
Major Lance |
59 |
- |
- |
| 1975 |
"Let's Do It Again "Let's Do It Again" was a hit song for The Staple Singers. Written by Curtis Mayfield, it was part of the soundtrack for the Bill Cosby/Sidney Poitier movie, Let's Do It Again. The single reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in December 1975 , and also spent two non-consecutive...
" |
The Staple Singers The Staple Singers were an American gospel, soul, and R&B singing group. Roebuck "Pops" Staples , the patriarch of the family, formed the group with his children Cleotha , Pervis , Yvonne , and Mavis...
|
1 |
1 |
– |
| 1975 |
"He Don't Love You (Like I Love You)" |
Tony Orlando & Dawn |
- |
1 |
- |
| 1976 |
"New Orleans" |
The Staple Singers |
4 |
70 |
– |
| 1976 |
"Something He Can Feel" |
Aretha FranklinAretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
|
1 |
28 |
- |
| 1976 |
"Jump" |
Aretha Franklin |
17 |
72 |
- |
| 1976 |
"Hooked On Your Love" |
Aretha Franklin |
17 |
- |
- |
| 1976 |
"Look Into Your Heart" |
Aretha Franklin |
10 |
82 |
- |
| 1977 |
"A Piece Of The Action" |
Mavis StaplesMavis Staples is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress and civil rights activist who recorded with The Staple Singers, her family's band.-Biography:...
|
47 |
- |
- |
| 1977 |
"It's Too Late"
New version |
Walter Jackson |
75 |
- |
- |
| 1977 |
"Curious Mind (Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um)" |
Johnny Rivers Johnny Rivers is an American rock and roll singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. His styles include folk songs, blues, and revivals of old-time rock 'n' roll songs and some original material...
|
|
41 |
|
| 1978 |
"More Than Just A Joy" |
Aretha Franklin |
51 |
- |
- |
| 1979 |
"Between You Baby And Me" |
Linda Clifford |
14 |
- |
- |
| 1983 |
"I'm So Proud" |
Deniece Williams June Deniece Chandler known by her stage name Deniece Williams is an American Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and record producer who achieved success in the 1970s and 1980s...
|
28 |
- |
- |
| 1984 |
"One Love/People Get Ready" |
Bob Marley & The Wailers Bob Marley & The Wailers were a Jamaican reggae, ska and rocksteady band formed by Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer in 1963. Additional members were Junior Braithwaite, Beverley Kelso, Cherry Smith and Aston and Carlton Barrett...
|
- |
- |
5 |
| 1985 |
"People Get Ready" |
Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck is an English rock guitarist. He is one of three noted guitarists to have played with The Yardbirds...
& Rod StewartRoderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
|
- |
48 |
49 |
| 1992 |
"Giving Him Something He Can Feel" |
En Vogue En Vogue is an American female R&B vocal group from Oakland, California assembled by music producers Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy.The group has won more MTV Video Music Awards than any other female group in MTV history, a total of seven, along with four Soul Train Awards, six American Music...
|
1 |
6 |
16 |
| 1994 |
"I'm So Proud" |
The Isley Brothers The Isley Brothers are a highly influential, successful and long-running American music group consisting of different line-ups of six brothers, and a brother-in-law, Chris Jasper...
|
64 |
- |
- |
* Billboard magazine did not publish an R&B chart during 1964; these chart positions are from Cashbox magazine.
** This hit charted three to four years later in the UK.
External links