Curtis Mayfield
b. 3 June 1942, Chicago, Illinois, USA. As songwriter and vocalist with the Impressions, Mayfield established an early reputation as one of soul music's most intuitive talents. In the decade between 1961 and 1971, he penned a succession of exemplary singles for his group, including Gypsy Woman (1961), It's All Right (1963), People Get Ready (1965), We're A Winner (1968) and Choice Of Colours (1969), the subjects of which ranged from simple, tender love songs to broadsides demanding social and political equality. Years later Bob Marley would lift lines from the anthemic People Get Ready to populate his own opus, One Love. Two independent record companies, Windy C and Curtom, emphasized Mayfield's statesman-like role within black music, while his continued support for other artists—as composer, producer or session guitarist—enhanced a virtually peerless reputation. Jerry Butler, Major Lance, Gene Chandler and Walter Jackson are among the many Chicago-based singers benefiting from Mayfield's involvement. Having parted company with the Impressions in 1970, the singer began his solo career with (Don't Worry) If There's A Hell Below We're All Going To Go, a suitably astringent protest song. The following year Mayfield enjoyed his biggest UK success when Move On Up reached number 12, a compulsive dance song which surprisingly did not chart in the US. There, the artist's commercial ascendancy was maintained with Freddie's Dead (US R&B number 2/number 4 pop hit) and the theme from Superfly (1972), a ‘blaxploitation’ film which he also scored. Both singles and the attendant album achieved gold status, inspiring further excursions into motion picture soundtracks, including CLAUDINE, A PIECE OF THE ACTION, SPARKLE and SHORT EYES, the last of which featured Mayfield in an acting role. However, although the singer continued to prove popular, he failed to sustain this high profile, and subsequent work, including his production of Aretha Franklin's 1978 album, ALMIGHTY FIRE, gained respect rather than commercial approbation. In 1981, he joined the Boardwalk label for which he recorded HONESTY, his strongest album since the halcyon days of the early '70s. Sadly, the death of label managing director Neil Bogert left an insurmountable gap, and Mayfield's career was then blighted by music industry indifference. The singer nonetheless remained a highly popular live attraction, particularly in Britain where (Celebrate) The Day After You, a collaboration with the Blow Monkeys, became a minor hit. In 1990, a freak accident, in which part of a public address rig collapsed on top of him during a concert, left Mayfield permanently paralysed from the neck down. The effects, both personal and professional, may yet prove costly to an individual whose contribution to soul music has been immense. In 1994 an album was released by various artists, including Lenny Kravitz, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart and Elton John, as a tribute to the Mayfield songbook. The material for BBC RADIO 1 LIVE IN CONCERT was gathered from the gig at London's Town And Country club during Mayfield's 1990 European tour.