Born on 3 June: Curtis Mayfield, a soul Legend too often overlooked

Born in Chicago (Illinois), USA in 1942, this great artist left us in 1999, at only 57 years old.

The career of this songwriter and multi-instrumentalist began quietly in 1956 as part of the Roosters, who soon changed their name to The Impressions. Blending doo-wop, soul and gospel, early hits emerged, including "For Your Precious Love", reminiscent of Sam Cooke’s style, and also "People Get Ready", their biggest hit. The political and social commitment of Curtis Mayfield, who became the group’s lead singer and main songwriter, also began to take shape. "We’re A Winner" became the anthem of the Black Power movement, and "Keep On Pushing" that of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.

When he launched his solo career in 1970, Curtis Mayfield had already established himself as an icon of the black minority recognition movement in his country, alongside Sly Stone and James Brown.

Thanks to the album "Superfly" in 1972 (which also served as the soundtrack for the film of the same name), the singer once again succeeded in combining a strong sense of melody with politically engaged lyrics. He also addressed the scourge of drugs. Upon the film’s release, the American magazine Rolling Stone wrote, in the words of Bob Donat: "Mayfield’s anti-drug message is actually much stronger than the film itself". A string of memorable albums followed: "Got To Find A Way" (1974), "There’s No Place Like America Today" (1975), "Someting To Believe In" (1980), and "Honesty" (1982).

 In 1977, "Never Say You Can’t Survive" turned out to be an omen of an accident that would strike the artist in August 1990 in Brooklyn, when part of the concert’s lighting crashed down on stage. Curtis Mayfield survived, but was paralysed, and ultimately had to have a leg amputated due to diabetes. Despite this tragic end to his career, the artist’s influence on the emergence of American hip-hop in the 1980s remains undeniable, and no one has ever forgotten his "princely falsetto", as he was once described by a French journalist...

(MH with Stéphane Soupart - © Etienne Tordoir)

Photo: Curtis Mayfield in concert in Antwerp (Belgium) in October 1986