Curtis Mayfield

This article is about the musician. For the Canadian Football League player, see Curtis Mayfield (Canadian football).

Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Mayfield performing for Dutch television in 1972
Background information
Birth name	Curtis Lee Mayfield
Born	June 3, 1942(1942-06-03) Chicago, Illinois, United States
Died	December 26, 1999(1999-12-26) (aged 57) Roswell, Georgia, United States
Genres	Soul, funk, R&B, Chicago soul
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, bass, piano, saxophone, drums
Years active	1958–1999
Labels	Curtom, Warner Bros., Rhino
Associated acts	The Impressions, Jerry Butler
Notable instruments
Fender Stratocaster

Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American soul, R&B, and funk 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 blaxploitation film Super Fly, Mayfield is highly regarded as a pioneer of funk and of politically conscious African-American music.^[1][2] He was also a multi-instrumentalist who played the guitar, bass, piano, saxophone, and drums. Curtis Mayfield is a winner of both the Grammy Legend Award (in 1994) and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (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 Chicago, Illinois, 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 School. He dropped out of high school early to become lead singer and songwriter for The Impressions, 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&B performing artists and composers injecting social commentary into their work.^[1] 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 guitar, 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.^[3] Second, he primarily sang in falsetto register, adding another flavor to his music. This was not unique in itself, but most singers sing primarily in the modal register.

Mayfield's career began in 1956 when he joined The Roosters with Arthur and Richard Brooks and Jerry Butler. Two years later The Roosters, now including also Sam Gooden, became The Impressions.^[4] The band had one big hit with "For Your Precious Love". After Butler left the group and was replaced with Fred Cash, (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 gospel tune, was included in the soundtrack of the 1963 MGM film Lilies of the Field, which starred Sidney Poitier. The Impressions reached the height of their popularity in the mid-to-late-'60s with a string of Mayfield compositions that included "Keep on Pushing," "People Get Ready", "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 movement in the early 1960s, but by the end of the decade he was a pioneering voice in the black pride movement along with James Brown and Sly Stone. Mayfield's "We're a Winner", a Number 1 soul hit which also reached the Billboard pop Top 20, became an anthem of the black power and black pride movements when it was released in late 1967,^[5] 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. and the Civil Rights Movement.^[6]

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 independent record label Curtom Records. Curtom went on to release most of Mayfield's landmark 1970s records, as well as records by the Impressions, Leroy Hutson, The Staple Singers, Mavis Staples, and Baby Huey and the Babysitters, a group which at the time included Chaka Khan. Many of these records were also produced by Mayfield.

The commercial and critical peak of his solo career came with his music album Super Fly, the soundtrack to the blaxploitation 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 Hayes' score for Shaft), which glorified the ghetto excesses of the characters, Mayfield's lyrics consisted of hard-hitting commentary on the state of affairs in black, urban ghettos at the time, as well as direct criticisms of several characters in the film. Bob Donat wrote in Rolling Stone Magazine in 1972 that while the film's message "was diluted by schizoid cross-purposes" because it "glamorizes machismo-cocaine consciousness... the anti-drug message on [Mayfield's soundtrack] is far stronger and more definite than in the film." Along with Marvin Gaye's What's Going On and Stevie Wonder's Innervisions, this album ushered in a new socially conscious, funky style of popular soul music. 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" and "Super Fly" both sold over one million copies each, and were awarded gold discs by the R.I.A.A.^[7]

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 Pips recorded Mayfield's soundtrack for Claudine in 1974, while Aretha Franklin recorded the soundtrack for Sparkle in 1976. Mayfield worked with Mavis Staples on the 1977 soundtrack for the film A Piece of the Action. 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 Piñero's play Short Eyes. 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 Butler) 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 featured in the movies I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, Hollywood Shuffle, and Friday (though not on the soundtrack). Mayfield was also in the 1977 movie Short Eyes.

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 Movement of the 1960’s and the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film Super Fly with The Impressions.^[8] Super Fly 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.^[9]

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 remains one of the most graphic tales of street life. ^[9] 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 by Mayfield and the Impressions. Keep On Pushing 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. ^[10]

Mayfield produced many of the songs that helped shape and define the Black Power Movement, exemplifies 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 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. ^[9]

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 Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York.^[11] The accident set him back, but Mayfield forged ahead. 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 Award 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 McCartney, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Dusty Springfield, George Martin, and 1970s Curtom signee and labelmate The Staple Singers.

His last appearance on record was with the group Bran Van 3000 on the song "Astounded" for their album Discosis, recorded just before his death and released in 2001.

Death

Curtis Mayfield died on December 26, 1999 at the North Fulton Regional Hospital in Roswell, Georgia due to his steadily declining health subsequent to his paralysis. ^[12]

Awards and legacy

Mayfield has left a remarkable legacy for his introduction of social consciousness into R&B and for pioneering the funk style. Many of his recordings with the Impressions became anthems of the Civil Rights Movement 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 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 in 2003.
• Along with his group The Impressions, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 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.
• He was a winner of the prestigious Grammy Legend Award in 1994.
• He received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995.
• He is a 2-time Grammy Hall of Fame inductee: for the song People Get Ready with The Impresssions, and for the award-winning album Super Fly 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 magazine ranked Mayfield #98 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.^[13]

Filmography

• Movin' On Up- "The Music and Message of Curtis Mayfield and The Impressions" (DVD-2008)
• Short Eyes (1977) (Role - Pappy)
• Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (film) (1978) (Role - Guest)
• Curtis Mayfield Live at Ronnie Scotts - issued on VHS and DVD (2002)

Discography

Studio albums

• Curtis (1970)
• Roots (1971)
• Back to the World (1973)
• Got to Find a Way (1974)
• Sweet Exorcist (1974)
• There's No Place Like America Today (1975)
• Give, Get, Take and Have (1976)
• Never Say You Can't Survive (1977)
• Do It All Night (1978)
• Heartbeat (1979)
• Something to Believe In (1980)
• The Right Combination (with Linda Clifford) (1980)
• Love is the Place (1982)
• Honesty (1983)
• We Come in Peace with a Message of Love (1985)
• Take It to the Streets (1990)
• New World Order (1997)

Soundtrack albums

• Super Fly (1972)
• Claudine (1974)
• Let's Do It Again (1975)
• Sparkle (1976)
• A Piece of the Action (1977)
• Short Eyes (1977)
• The Return of Superfly (1990)

Live albums

• Curtis/Live! (1971)
• Curtis in Chicago (1973)
• Live in Europe (1988)
• Live at Ronnie Scott's (1988)

Compilations

• The Anthology 1961-1977 (1992)
• People Get Ready: The Curtis Mayfield Story (1996)
• Get Down to the Funky Groove (1996) [Charly]^[14]
• The Very Best of Curtis Mayfield (1997)
• Beautiful Brother. The Essential Curtis Mayfield (2000)
• 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[15]	US Pop[15]	UK[16]
1960	"He Will Break Your Heart"	Jerry Butler	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	8	14	-
1963	"Mama Didn't Lie"	The Fascinations	-	108	-
1963	"The Monkey Time"	Major Lance	2	8	-
1963	"Hey Little Girl"	Major Lance	12	13	-
1963	"Rainbow"	Gene Chandler	11	47	-
1963	"Found True Love"	Billy Butler & 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	-	103	-
1965	"You Can't Hurt Me No More"	Gene Chandler	40	92	-
1966	"He Will Break Your Heart"	The Righteous Brothers	-	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	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 Hathaway & June Conquest)	45	-	-
1969	"Stay Close To Me"	The Five Stairsteps	-	91	-
1970	"Gypsy Woman"	Brian Hyland	-	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 & June Conquest	41	92	-
1974	"{It's Gonna Be} A Long, Long Winter"	Linda Clifford	75	-	-
1974	"On and On" (from Claudine)	Gladys Knight & The Pips	2	5	-
1974	"Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um" New version	Major Lance	59	-	-
1975	"Let's Do It Again"	The Staple Singers	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 Franklin	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 Staples	47	-	-
1977	"It's Too Late" New version	Walter Jackson	75	-	-
1977	"Curious Mind (Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um)"	Johnny Rivers		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	28	-	-
1984	"One Love/People Get Ready"	Bob Marley & The Wailers	-	-	5
1985	"People Get Ready"	Jeff Beck & Rod Stewart	-	48	49
1992	"Giving Him Something He Can Feel"	En Vogue	1	6	16
1994	"I'm So Proud"	The Isley Brothers	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.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Curtis Mayfield, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. "…significant for the forthright way in which he addressed issues of black identity and self-awareness. …left his imprint on the Seventies by couching social commentary and keenly observed black-culture archetypes in funky, danceable rhythms. …sounded urgent pleas for peace and brotherhood over extended, cinematic soul-funk tracks that laid out a fresh musical agenda for the new decade." Accessed on line November 28, 2006.
2. ^ Soul icon Curtis Mayfield dies, BBC News, December 27, 1999. "Credited with introducing social comment to soul music". Accessed on line November 28, 2006.
3. ^ Carpenter, Bill. Uncloudy Days: The Gospel Music Encyclopedia page 273 CMP Media, 2005 ISBb 0879308419 Accessed via Google Books November 20, 2008
4. ^ Soul icon Curtis Mayfield dies, BBC News, 27 December 1999. Accessed on line 28 November 2006.
5. ^ Curtis Mayfield biography, Internet Movie Database (IMDB). "…1968 hit 'We're A Winner,' became a civil rights anthem" Accessed on line 28 November 2006.
6. ^ Richard Phillips, Curtis Mayfield dies: A modest man of great musical talent and sensitivity, World Socialist Web Site (International Committee of the Fourth International), January 24, 2000. Accessed on line November 28, 2006.
7. ^ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 316. ISBN 0-214-20512-6. 
8. ^ Mayfield, Curtis. "Curtis Mayfield Website". http://curtismayfield.com/biography.html. Retrieved 13 October 2011. 
9. ^ ^{a b c} Freeland, Gregory (2009). "'We're a Winner': Popular Music and the Black Power Movement". Social Movement Studies 8 (3): 261–288. 
10. ^ "People Get Ready". National Public Radio. http://www.npr.org/news/specials/march40th/people.html. Retrieved 13 October 2011. 
11. ^ Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 473. CN 5585. 
12. ^ Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. 17 January 2000. p. 55. ISSN 00215996. http://books.google.com/books?id=ZTsDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA55. Retrieved 18 January 2011. 
13. ^ "The Immortals: The First Fifty". Rolling Stone Issue 946. Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-artists-of-all-time-19691231/curtis-mayfield-19691231. 
14. ^ "Get Down to the Funky Groove: Curtis Mayfield: Music". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000003688. Retrieved 2011-11-08. 
15. ^ ^{a b} "Charts & Awards". Allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p4724/charts-awards/billboard-singles. Retrieved 2011-11-08. 
16. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. 

External links

Biography portal

• Curtis Mayfield at the Internet Movie Database
• Curtis Mayfield at Allmusic
• "Curtis Mayfield and The Impressions perform 'We're a Winner' " for the WGBH series, Say Brother
• Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time
• Obituary from Socialist Action
• BBC Obituary
• RBMA Radio On Demand - Across 135th Street - Volume 10 - Curtis Mayfield Tribute - Chairman Mao (RBMA, Egotrip)
• Entry in New Georgia Encyclopedia
• Curtis Mayfield and the Impact of His Music on the Civil Rights Movement A Conversation with Mr. Howard Dodson and Dr. Portia K. Maultsby at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum
• Curtis Mayfield at Find a Grave
• Curtis Mayfield accepts The Grammy Living Legend Award with original Impressions Jerry Butler, Sam Gooden, and Fred Cash - 1994

Persondata
Name	Mayfield, Curtis
Alternative names	Mayfield, Curtis Lee
Short description	American singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist
Date of birth	June 3, 1942
Place of birth	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Date of death	December 26, 1999
Place of death	Roswell, Georgia, U.S.