------------------------- Via Workers World News Service Reprinted from the Jan. 13, 2000 issue of Workers World newspaper ------------------------- MUSIC GIANT CURTIS MAYFIELD DIES By Monica Moorehead CURTIS MAYFIELD--one of the towering figures of African American music, especially rhythm and blues--passed away on Dec. 26 at the age of 57 in Roswell, Ga. After a 1990 accident in which a lighting rig fell on him during a concert, Mayfield was paralyzed and in poor health. He developed diabetes, leading to the amputation of one leg. Like many other Black singers, from Patti LaBelle to Marvin Gaye, Mayfield started singing gospel in church. Born in Chicago, Mayfield sang with the Northern Jubilee Singers, who were a part of his grandmother's Traveling Soul Spiritualist Church. Mayfield and gospel singer Jerry Butler formed the group known as the Impressions in the 1960s. Butler would eventually leave the Impressions to embark upon a successful solo career, in which he was known as the "Iceman." Not only was Mayfield a lead singer of the three-person group but he wrote many of their songs and played lead guitar. The historic movement for Black civil rights was not lost on Mayfield and the Impressions. In fact, their music expressed the growing strength of the movement as they led the way in showing that Black music could play a helpful role in the anti-racist struggle. Mayfield wrote a number of uplifting songs like "People Get Ready" and "Keep On Pushing" that helped to instill confidence that the struggle for democratic rights among the Black masses was just and that united the people could win. These songs alone will stand the test of time. The Impressions' other hits included "It's All Right," "I'm so Proud," "Amen," and "We're A Winner." Mayfield wrote memorable hits not only for the Impressions but for other Black artists as well. They included Gladys Knight and the Pips, Aretha Franklin, the Staple Singers, Major Lance and Gene Chandler. Mayfield's song-writing talents became so prolific that he has been credited with starting the "Chicago Sound," which proved to be distinctive from the more popular Motown Sound. It is a testimony to his greatness that many artists, Black and white, are interpreting Mayfield's songs to this day. In 1970, Mayfield left the Impressions to pursue a solo career. In 1972, he produced the number one album of the year, the movie soundtrack for "Superfly." A story about the life of a drug pusher, Superfly was one of the most successful of the "blaxploitation" movies of the 1970s. Mayfield's haunting music and profound lyrics reflected the movie's glamorization of drugs as well as their tragic consequences for the Black community. Mayfield and the Impressions were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. During the same period, Mayfield joined with fellow performers Jerry Butler, Sam Moore from Sam and Dave, and the estates of the late Mary Wells and Jackie Wilson as plaintiffs in a $7-billion class-action suit. This suit charged some of the major U.S. recording companies with systematically defrauding recording artists of their health insurance, pensions and other benefits. In 1998, the Georgia House of Representatives passed a resolution honoring the contributions of Curtis Mayfield. However, in a racist society like the U.S., a Black artist will never get the total recognition accorded to popular white performers like Elvis Presley or the Beatles, who are elevated to almost a mythical level. These performers discovered that the answer to having a successful career was to try to imitate the Black sound. They made millions of dollars in the process. Curtis Mayfield never came close to being a multi- millionaire and also never got the recognition he so richly deserved. But he was a musical genius, pure and simple. He was a product of the social upheaval of the 1960s. Even when Mayfield enjoyed a modicum of success, he never forgot his roots as he continued to produce quality music. Until his last breath his music reflected real life, especially the lives of Black people. He refused to compromise his music and that should always be a part of his legacy. The title of one of his most revered songs could apply to the struggle today: "Keep On Pushing." - END - (Copyleft Workers World Service. Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but changing it is not allowed. For more information contact Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For subscription info send message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.workers.org) _____________________________________________________________ Keep up with breaking news! Join our Hot Topics list. http://www.topica.com/lists/breakingnews/t/12
