Curtis Mayfield

This is an Official Curtis Mayfield Page. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Run by: The Mayfield Faimly~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~THERE IS A FAKE PAGE OUT THIER CALLED CURTIS MAYFIELD FAN! WHO KEEPS STEALING ALL THE FRIENDS OF CURTIS MAYFIELD PAGE TO SEND OUT SPAM DON"T TRUST THEM THEY ARE NOT A FAN their an IMPROSER!! WATCH OUT!!!______________________________________________________ ____________________ We Like to wish Everyone a wonderful Xmas and NewYear and Thanks for all the love you guys have been showing Curtis Mayfield. It makes me happy to see he is not forgotton and still listen too. I will be trying to update this page every month with new infromation on what's going on with The Mayfield's and are plans.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~ Check out Monica's new album "A Dozen Roses" it contains Curtis Mayfield singin and music from "The makings of you"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~ Also Check out Beyonce album B-Day song "Resentment" It uses the whole music of Curtis Mayfield "Think" from The "Superfly" album. ~~~~~~~~~~~Also check out T.I "What you know about it" Which is useing Curtis Mayfield's Music that is looped threw out the whole song.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~There's a new album out Called Curtis Mayfield The Remix album, go to itunes and buy the album. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Happy Thanksgiving to all!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~Whilst our label story actually begins in 1968 the name Curtom had been in use as early as 1963, pertaining to the publishing company mainly representing a then already extensive catalogue of songs written by the man at the centre of our story, Curtis Mayfield. Operating from offices on North Lincoln Avenue on Chicago’s South Side, Curtom songs regularly gave artists contracted to now legendary labels such as Chess, O-Keh (where Mayfield became a staff producer) and Vee Jay sizeable hits. The Fascinations, Jan Bradley, Major Lance and Billy Butler were amongst many who enjoyed success with Mayfield penned tracks during that period. However it was his involvement with Jerry Butler that set Mayfield on a course to become the key architect of the Chicago Soul sound.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Mayfield was already singing in public by the age of 7 and had first met Butler whilst both were in the choir of the Travelling Soul Spiritualists Church. Butler originally hailed from Mississippi whilst Mayfield, 3 years his junior was a native of Chicago. Subsequently Mayfield would draw much inspiration from local group The Northern Jubilee Gospel Singers featuring his cousins Sam, Tommy and Charles Hawkins and the same Jerry Butler. Indeed their example motivated Mayfield to lead his own gospel group, The Alphatones. Illuminated by his mother’s love of poetry and the gospel songs so central to his life it was around this time that Mayfield began his first tentative steps towards song writing. Crucial to this development was his decision to take up the guitar, which he taught himself by tuning the instrument to mirror the black keys of the piano. By the time Butler approached him in 1957, Mayfield still only 16, was confident enough to accept Jerry’s offer of a position as the guitarist in his new group The Roosters. Within a year the 5-piece, re-christened The Impressions had scored a number 11 hit on the US pop charts with the ballad ‘For Your Precious Love’. A fine start but the label credited the song to Jerry Butler & The Impressions and after one more release Butler split amidst disquiet within the group over his priority billing. The Impressions struggled but Mayfield kept them together, funding demos from cash he saved from writing and touring with the now solo Butler. Indeed it would be the success of Butler’s Mayfield penned ‘He Will Break Your Heart’ in 1960 and subsequent solo singles which rekindled interest in The Impressions and would lead to the formation of Curtom Music publishing. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Impressions fortunes had changed dramatically after the release of ‘Gypsy Woman’ in 1961. They were now a 3 piece, the Brooks brothers having departed, Fred Cash taking their place alongside Sam Gooden and Mayfield. Blessed with Johnny Pate’s supreme arrangements they unleashed a series of singles which defined the times; ‘I’m So Proud’ (1964), ‘Keep On Pushing’(1964), ‘It’s Alright’ (1963) and ‘People Get Ready’ (1965) were four anthems from an increasingly impressive canon of Mayfield originals. With him at the helm they notched up no less than 14 top 40 US hits that decade, 5 of which went top 20 in 1964 alone. Musically Mayfield proved to be a rigourous innovator and coupled with Pate came to define the Chicago Soul sound. Gospel and Doo Wop mixed with striking brass parts and Latin influenced rhythms often mirrored by Mayfield’s excellent trademark rolling guitar lines were just part of the recipe. The Impressions vocals and in particular Mayfield’s irrepressible falsetto another key ingredient. Along with the uplifting melodies, which would characterise his life's work, another striking thing about those records was that they’d been written by their performer. In this respect Mayfield proved a radical. A quick glance at Motown’s soul ‘pop’ from the same period or indeed the work of most black recording artists of the time reveals that most sang songs written by others. When you consider the lyrics to those four songs previously mentioned Mayfield’s unusual position is even more remarkable. Content wise they were head and shoulders above almost everything else from the period. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Some times veiled, other times blatant, Mayfield’s lyrics were often about Black pride and reflected the self-determination of the Afro-American community. Mayfield would become a significant voice within the Black power movement but his words were always more universal than that. He knew he was in a position to influence, enlighten and educate and his best work displayed that wisdom. His weren’t appeals for radical Black power but equality and unity, values and goals similar to those of Martin Luther King and the Southern Leadership Conference. No one using song so effectively and consistently had communicated such ideas at the time.
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