Guide Note
Chicago born
Curtis Mayfield was a popular
Soul and
R&B; singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was a member of the band
The Impressions, as well as a successful solo artist. Mayfield remains best known for his soundtrack work on the
1972 film
Superfly, though his career is marked by many other achievements.
Cultural Significance
A number of Mayfield's efforts as a songwriter have become American cultural touchstones. His 1965 Impressions track "People Get Ready" (there's a train a-comin'...)—which he penned in anticipation of Martin Luther King Jr.'s march on Chicago—was adopted as an anthem of the Civil Rights Movement. His 1972 track "Pusherman" portrayed the inner city hustler with a balance of dread, sympathy, cynicism and celebration that was highly influential—and harder hitting than the social commentary of Marvin Gaye. Mayfield's most profound influence on Hip-Hop was his music itself, among the most frequently sampled of any artist.
Paralysis
At a 1990 concert in Brooklyn, Mayfield was struck by stage equipment and paralyzed from the neck down, a condition from which he never recovered. He did, however, manage to record one final album, 1996's New World Order, before his death in Georgia on December 26, 1999.
Fast Facts
- Born: June 3, 1942
- Died: December 26, 1999
- Hometown: Chicago
- Key albums:
