Editing Curtis Mayfield

{{Short description|American singer-songwriter (1942–1999)}}
{{About|the musician|the Canadian Football League player|Curtis Mayfield (Canadian football)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name            = Curtis Mayfield
| image           = Curtis Mayfield.png
| caption         = Mayfield performing for Dutch television in 1972
| birth_name      = Curtis Lee Mayfield
| birth_date      = {{Birth date|1942|6|3}}
| birth_place     = [[Chicago, Illinois]], U.S.
| death_date      = {{death date and age|1999|12|26|1942|6|3}}
| death_place     = [[Roswell, Georgia]], U.S.
| origin          =
| instrument      = {{flatlist|
* Vocals
* guitar
* piano
* keyboards
}}
| discography     = [[Curtis Mayfield discography]]
| genre           = {{flatlist|
* [[soul music|Soul]]
* [[rhythm and blues|R&B]]
* [[funk]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Unterberger|first=Richie|author-link=Richie Unterberger|date=n.d.|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/curtis-mayfield-mn0000144458/biography|title=Curtis Mayfield: Biography & History|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=January 30, 2021}}</ref>
* [[progressive soul]]<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Hoard|editor1-first=Christian|editor2-last=Brackett|editor2-first=Nathan|year=2004|title=[[The New Rolling Stone Album Guide]]|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|isbn=9780743201698|page=524}}</ref>
* [[gospel music|gospel]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Garofalo|first=Reebee|year=2008|title=Rockin' Out: Popular Music in the USA|publisher=Pearson Prentice Hall|isbn=9780132343053|page=179|quote=... it was not until the mid-1960s that the social consciousness of folk music was linked to the popular appeal of the gospel/r&b fusion. The center for this innovation was Chicago and the often underappreciated Curtis Mayfield.}}</ref>
* [[psychedelic soul]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/style/psychedelic-soul-ma0000005025|title=Psychedelic Soul Music Genre Overview|website=AllMusic|access-date=January 30, 2021}}</ref>
}}
| occupation      = {{flatlist|
* Singer-songwriter
* guitarist
* record producer
}}
| years_active    = 1956–1999
| label           = {{flatlist|
* [[Curtom Records|Curtom]]
* [[Warner Records|Warner Bros.]]
* [[Rhino Entertainment|Rhino]]
}}
| website         =
}}

'''Curtis Lee Mayfield''' (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Dubbed the "[[Honorific nicknames in popular music|Gentle Genius]]",<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Mitchell |first1=Gall |title=Curtis Mayfield Estate Gears Up for Soul Icon's 60th Anniversary |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/curtis-mayfield-60th-anniversary-plans-6516954/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=December 26, 2022 |date=March 30, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Crandall |first1=Bill |title=Wonder, Hill, Clapton Praise Mayfield |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/wonder-hill-clapton-praise-mayfield-245525/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=December 26, 2022 |date=February 23, 2000}}</ref> he is considered one of the most influential musicians of [[soul music|soul]] and socially conscious [[African-American music]].<ref name=HallOfFame>[http://www.rockhall.com/hof/inductee.asp?id=150 Curtis Mayfield] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061123095815/http://www.rockhall.com/hof/inductee.asp?id=150 |date=November 23, 2006 }}, 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 overextended, [[cinematic soul]]-funk tracks that laid out a fresh musical agenda for the new decade." Accessed November 28, 2006.</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/579113.stm "Soul icon Curtis Mayfield dies"], BBC News, December 27, 1999: "Credited with introducing social comment to soul music". Accessed November 28, 2006.</ref> Mayfield first achieved success and recognition with the vocal group [[the Impressions]] during the [[civil rights movement]] of the late 1950s and the 1960s, and later worked as a solo artist.

Mayfield started his musical career in a [[gospel music|gospel]] choir. Moving to the [[North Side, Chicago|North Side]] of Chicago, he met [[Jerry Butler]] in 1956 at the age of 14 and joined the Impressions.  The group's lead singer and primary songwriter, Mayfield became noted as one of the first musicians to bring more prevalent themes of social awareness into soul music. In 1965, he wrote "[[People Get Ready]]" for the Impressions, which was ranked No. 24 in [[Rolling Stone (magazine)|''Rolling Stone'']]'s list of the "[[500 Greatest Songs of All Time]]" in 2004.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-500-greatest-songs-of-all-time-20110407/the-impressions-people-get-ready-20110525|title=500 Greatest Songs of All Time|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=February 9, 2015|archive-date=June 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615111446/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-500-greatest-songs-of-all-time-20110407/the-impressions-people-get-ready-20110525|url-status=dead}}</ref> The song received numerous other awards; it was included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.infoplease.com/ipea/A0150472.html|title=500 Songs That Shaped Rock|website=Infoplease|access-date=February 9, 2015}}</ref> and was inducted into the [[Grammy Hall of Fame]] in 1998.

After leaving the Impressions in 1970 in pursuit of a solo career, Mayfield released several albums throughout the decade, including his debut ''[[Curtis (Curtis Mayfield album)|Curtis]]'' (1970) and the [[Super Fly (soundtrack)|soundtrack]] for the 1972 [[blaxploitation]] film ''[[Super Fly (1972 film)|Super Fly]]''. The soundtrack was noted for its socially conscious themes, primarily addressing issues that heavily affected inner city residents and racial minorities such as crime, poverty and [[substance abuse|drug abuse]]. The album was ranked No. 72 in ''Rolling Stone''{{'}}s list of the "[[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|500 Greatest Albums of All Time]]" in 2003.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=500 Greatest Albums of All Time|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/curtis-mayfield-superfly-20120524|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=February 9, 2015|archive-date=February 22, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180222102549/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/curtis-mayfield-superfly-20120524|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On August 13, 1990, Mayfield was paralyzed from the neck down during an accident in which lighting equipment fell on him during a live performance at Wingate Field in [[Flatbush, Brooklyn]], New York.<ref name="Phillips-1990">{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-08-15-ca-796-story.html|title=Curtis Mayfield Injured in Stage Accident|last=Phillips|first=Chuck|date=August 15, 1990|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|access-date=November 1, 2019}}</ref> Despite this, he continued his career as a recording artist, releasing his final album ''[[New World Order (album)|New World Order]]'' in 1996. Mayfield won a [[Grammy Legend Award]] in 1994 and a [[Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award]] in 1995.<ref name="Thurber-1999" /> He is a double inductee into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]], as a member of the Impressions in 1991, and again in 1999 as a solo artist. He is also a two-time [[Grammy Hall of Fame]] inductee. He died from complications of [[type 2 diabetes]] at the age of 57 on December 26, 1999.<ref name="Leigh-1999" />

== Early life ==
Curtis Lee Mayfield was born on Wednesday, June 3, 1942, in [[John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County|Cook County Hospital]] in Chicago, Illinois,<ref>The Guardian - March 11, 1995</ref> the son of Marion Washington and Kenneth Mayfield, one of five children.<!--Most reliable sources give Kenneth Mayfield as the name of the father; some others give Curtis Lee Mayfield or Kenneth Washington, though the majority, and the main sources, use Kenneth Mayfield  --><ref name=Chicago>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qojgLBuEFEUC&pg=PA208|title=Chicago Portraits|page=208|first=June Skinner|last=Sawyers|publisher=Northwestern University Press|date= March 31, 2012|isbn=9780810126497}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y5uyLgEfk34C&pg=PT30|page=30|title=Higher Ground|first=Craig|last=Werner|publisher=Random House|date= December 18, 2007|isbn=9780307420879}}</ref> Mayfield's father left the family when Curtis was five; his mother (and maternal grandmother) moved the family into several Chicago public housing projects before settling in [[Cabrini–Green]] during his teen years.  Mayfield attended [[Wells Community Academy High School]] before dropping out his second year. His mother taught him piano and, along with his grandmother, encouraged him to enjoy gospel music. At the age of seven he sang publicly at his aunt's church with the Northern Jubilee Gospel Singers.<ref name="Canberra Times">{{cite news| title=When everything Was a Song|newspaper=The Canberra Times|date=March 6, 1994 |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article118156225 | access-date=October 31, 2019}}</ref>

Mayfield received his first guitar when he was ten, later recalling that he loved his guitar so much he used to sleep with it.<ref name="Thurber-1999">{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-dec-27-mn-48071-story.html|title=Curtis Mayfield; R&B; Songwriter, Singer, Guitarist With Gospel Roots|first=Jon|last=Thurber|date=December 27, 1999|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|access-date=November 1, 2019}}</ref> He was a self-taught musician, and he grew up admiring blues singer [[Muddy Waters]] and Spanish guitarist [[Andrés Segovia|Andres Segovia]].<ref name="Thurber-1999" />

When he was 14 years old he formed the Alphatones when the Northern Jubilee Gospel Singers decided to try their luck in downtown Chicago and Mayfield stayed behind.  Fellow group member Sam Gooden was quoted "It would have been nice to have him there with us, but of course, your parents have the first say."

Later in 1956, he joined his high school friend Jerry Butler's group The Roosters with brothers Arthur and Richard Brooks.<ref name="Thurber-1999" /> He wrote and composed songs for this group who would become The Impressions two years later. He was also notably a childhood friend of fellow musician [[Terry Callier]].<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/jazz-folk-singer-terry-callier-dead-at-67-179534/|title=Jazz-Folk Singer Terry Callier Dead at 67|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=October 29, 2012}}</ref>

==Career==
===The Impressions===
{{Main|The Impressions}}
[[File:The Impressions, 1964.png|thumb|The Impressions in 1964, from left to right: Sam Gooden, Curtis Mayfield, and Fred Cash|alt=The three singers wearing suits]]
Mayfield's career began in 1956 when he joined the Roosters with Arthur and Richard Brooks and [[Jerry Butler (singer)|Jerry Butler]].<ref name="BBC">{{cite news|url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/579113.stm|title = Soul icon Curtis Mayfield dies|date = December 27, 1999|work = BBC News}}</ref> Two years later the Roosters, now including [[Sam Gooden]], became the Impressions.<ref name="BBC" /> The band had two hit singles with Butler, "[[For Your Precious Love]]" and "Come Back My Love", then Butler left. Mayfield temporarily went with him, co-writing and performing on Butler's next hit, "He Will Break Your Heart", before returning to the Impressions with the group signing for ABC Records and working with the label's Chicago-based producer/A&R manager, [[Johnny Pate]].<ref name=boz>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-artists-of-all-time-19691231/curtis-mayfield-20110420|first=Boz|last=Scaggs|author-link=Boz Scaggs|title=100 Greatest Artists: 98 Curtis Mayfield|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=December 3, 2010 }}</ref>

Butler was replaced by [[Fred Cash]], a returning original Roosters member, and Mayfield became lead singer, frequently composing for the band, starting with "[[Gypsy Woman (The Impressions song)|Gypsy Woman]]", a Top 20 Pop hit. Their hit "Amen" (Top 10), an updated version of an old [[gospel music|gospel]] tune, was included in the soundtrack of the 1963 [[United Artists]] film ''[[Lilies of the Field (1963 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 (song)|Keep On Pushing]]", "[[People Get Ready]]", "[[It's All Right (The Impressions song)|It's All Right]]" (Top 10), the up-tempo "Talking about My Baby"(Top 20) and "Woman's Got Soul".

He formed his own label, Curtom Records in Chicago in 1968 and the Impressions joined him to continue their run of hits including "Fool For You", "This is My Country", "Choice Of Colors" 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 (song)|We're a Winner]]" was their last major hit for ABC. Reaching number 14 on ''Billboard''{{'}}s pop chart and number one on the R&B chart, it became an anthem of the [[black power]] and black pride movements when it was released in late 1967,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qY9Igv12EVEC&q=we%27re+a+winner+impressions+black+power&pg=PA114|title=Black Power: Radical Politics and African American Identity|last=Ogbar|first=Jeffrey O. G.|publisher=JHU Press|year=2005|isbn=9780801882753|page=114}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|date=February 15, 1968|title=Impressions' Tune, 'We're A Winner' Stirs Racial Fuss|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LrgDAAAAMBAJ&q=we%27re+a+winner+impressions+black+power&pg=PA58|magazine=Jet|volume= 33| issue =  19|pages=58–59}}</ref><ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0562631/bio Curtis Mayfield biography], Internet Movie Database (IMDb). "...1968 hit 'We're A Winner,' became a civil rights anthem". Accessed November 28, 2006.</ref> 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.<ref>Phillipsn, Richard (January 24, 2000), [http://www.wsws.org/articles/2000/jan2000/curt-j24.shtml Curtis Mayfield dies: A modest man of great musical talent and sensitivity], World Socialist Web Site (International Committee of the Fourth International). Retrieved November 28, 2006.</ref>

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]] (first independent, then distributed by Buddah then Warner Bros and finally RSO) and Thomas labels (first independent, then distributed by Atlantic, then independent again and finally Buddah).

Among Mayfield's greatest songwriting successes were three hits that he wrote for Jerry Butler on Vee Jay ("He Will Break Your Heart", "Find Another Girl" and "I'm A-Tellin' You").  His harmony vocals are very prominent.  He also had great success writing and arranging [[Jan Bradley]]'s "Mama Didn't Lie".  Starting in 1963, he was heavily involved in writing and arranging for OKeh Records (with Carl Davis producing), which included hits by [[Major Lance]] such as "[[Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um]]" and "[[The Monkey Time]]",<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/major-lance |title=Major Lance &#124; Billboard |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=April 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190611200954/https://www.billboard.com/music/major-lance |archive-date=June 11, 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref> as well as Walter Jackson, Billy Butler and the Artistics.  This arrangement ran through 1965.

===Solo career===
In 1970, Mayfield left the Impressions and began a solo career. Curtom released many of Mayfield's 1970s records, as well as records by the Impressions, [[Leroy Hutson]], [[the Five Stairsteps]], [[the Staple Singers|the Staples Singers]], [[Mavis Staples]], [[Linda Clifford]], [[Natural Four]], [[The Notations]] and [[Baby Huey and the Babysitters]]. [[Gene Chandler]] and Major Lance, who had worked with Mayfield during the 1960s, also signed for short stays at Curtom. Many of the label's recordings were produced by Mayfield.

Mayfield's first solo album, ''[[Curtis (Curtis Mayfield album)|Curtis]]'', was released in 1970, and hit the top 20, as well as being a critical success. It pre-dated [[Marvin Gaye]]'s album, ''[[What's Going On (Marvin Gaye album)|What's Going On]]'', to which it has been compared in addressing social change.<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Curtis|publisher=Sequel Records|id=NEM CD 965|year=1998}}</ref> The commercial and critical peak of his solo career came with ''[[Super Fly (soundtrack)|Super Fly]]'', the soundtrack to the [[blaxploitation]] ''[[Super Fly (1972 film)|Super Fly]]'' film, which topped the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' Top LPs]] chart and sold more than 12 million copies.<ref name="Thurber-1999" /> Unlike the soundtracks to other blaxploitation films (most notably [[Isaac Hayes]]' score for ''[[Shaft (1971 film)|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 [[ghetto]]s 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."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/super-fly-181672/|title=Super Fly|last=Donat|first=Bob|date=November 9, 1972|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US|access-date=November 1, 2019}}</ref> Because of the tendency of these blaxploitation films to glorify the criminal life of dealers and pimps to target a mostly black lower class audience, Mayfield's album set this movie apart. With songs like "Freddie's Dead", a song that focuses on the demise of Freddie, a junkie that was forced into "pushin' dope for the man" because of a debt that he owed to his dealer, and "Pusherman", a song that reveals how many people in the ghetto fell victim to drug abuse, and therefore became dependent upon their dealers, Mayfield illuminated a darker side of life in the ghetto that these blaxploitation films often failed to criticize. However, although Mayfield's soundtrack criticized the glorification of dealers and pimps, he in no way denied that this glorification was occurring. When asked about the subject matter of these films he was quoted stating "I don't see why people are complaining about the subject of these films", and "The way you clean up the films is by cleaning up the streets."<ref name="waxpoetics.com">{{cite web|title = Curtis Mayfield injected his own cultural commentary into Super Fly|url = http://waxpoetics.com/features/articles/curtis-mayfield-super-fly/|website = Wax Poetics|access-date =October 22, 2015|language = en}}</ref>

Along with ''What's Going On'' and [[Stevie Wonder]]'s ''[[Innervisions]]'', this album ushered in a new [[social consciousness|socially conscious]], [[funk music|funky]] style of popular [[soul music]]. The single releases "[[Freddie's Dead]]" and "[[Superfly (song)|Super Fly]]" each sold more than one million copies, and were awarded [[music recording sales certification|gold discs]] by the [[R.I.A.A.]]<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{cite book| first= Joseph| last= Murrells| year= 1978| title= The Book of Golden Discs| edition= 2nd| publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd| page= [https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/316 316]| isbn= 0-214-20512-6| url-access= registration| url= https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/316}}</ref>

''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 (movie)|Claudine]]'' in 1974,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.essence.com/news/flashback-fridays-claudine/|title=Flashback Fridays: 'Claudine'|last=Robertson|first=Regina R.|date=April 22, 2010|website=Essence|language=en-US|access-date=November 1, 2019}}</ref> while [[Aretha Franklin]] recorded the soundtrack for ''[[Sparkle (1976 film)|Sparkle]]'' in 1976.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/aretha-franklin-sparkle-album-713268/|title=Aretha's Greatest Albums: 'Sparkle' (1976)|last=Reeves|first=Mosi|date=August 20, 2018|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US|access-date=November 1, 2019}}</ref> Mayfield also worked with [[The Staple Singers|The Staples Singers]] on the soundtrack for the 1975 film ''[[Let's Do It Again (1975 film)|Let's Do It Again]]'',<ref name="Thurber-1999" /> and teamed up with [[Mavis Staples]] exclusively on the 1977 film soundtrack ''[[A Piece of the Action (film)|A Piece of the Action]]'' (both movies were part of a trilogy of films that featured the acting and comedic exploits of [[Bill Cosby]] and [[Sidney Poitier]] and were directed by [[Poitier]]).

In 1973 Mayfield released the anti-war album ''[[Back to the World (Curtis Mayfield album)|Back to the World]]'', a concept album that dealt with the social aftermath of the [[Vietnam War]] and criticized the United States' involvement in wars across the planet.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.soulwalking.co.uk/Curtis%20Mayfield.html|title=Curtis Mayfield Page|website=Soulwalking.co.uk|access-date=October 7, 2019}}</ref> One of Mayfield's most successful funk-disco meldings was the 1977 hit "Do Do Wap is Strong in Here" from his [[Short Eyes (album)|soundtrack]] to the [[Robert M. Young (film director)|Robert M. Young]] [[Short Eyes (film)|film]] of [[Miguel Piñero]]'s play ''[[Short Eyes (play)|Short Eyes]]''. In his 2003 biography of Curtis Mayfield, ''People Never Give Up'', author Peter Burns noted that Mayfield has 140 songs in the [[Curtom]] vaults. Burns indicated that the songs were 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", "What's 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 Mayfield, the Impressions, and [[Jerry Butler (singer)|Jerry Butler]]) and a live performance, recorded in September 1966 by the Impressions titled ''Live at the Club Chicago''.

In 1982, Mayfield decided to move to Atlanta with his family, closing down his recording operation in Chicago.<ref name="Thurber-1999" /> The label had gradually reduced in size in its final two years or so with releases on the main RSO imprint and Curtom credited as the production company. Mayfield continued to record occasionally, keeping the Curtom name alive for a few more years, and to tour worldwide. Mayfield's song "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go" has been included as an entrance song on every episode of the drama series [[The Deuce (TV series)|''The Deuce'']]. ''The Deuce'' tells of the germination of the sex-trade industry in the heart of New York's [[Times Square]] in the 1970s. Mayfield's career began to slow down during the 1980s.

In later years, Mayfield's music was included in the movies ''[[I'm Gonna Git You Sucka]]'', ''[[Hollywood Shuffle]]'', ''[[Friday (1995 film)|Friday]]'' (though not on the soundtrack album), ''[[Bend It Like Beckham]]'', ''[[The Hangover Part II]]'' and ''[[Short Eyes (film)|Short Eyes]]'', where he had a cameo role as a prisoner.<ref>{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=fVF58UFjlysC&pg=PA94 |title=Only the Strong Survive: Memoirs of a Soul Survivor|first=Jerry  |last=Butler |page=94|publisher=Indiana University Press|year= 2004 |isbn=0253217040|access-date=November 27, 2011}}</ref>

==Social activism==
{{Quote box
| quote = "His most affecting songs carried the optimism and conviction of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s most celebrated sermons. His music was a major influence on many of today's most influential rap and hip-hop stars, from Lauryn Hill to Public Enemy."
| source = — ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' Pop Music Critic [[Robert Hilburn]] (1999)<ref name="Thurber-1999"/>
| class = padding:8px;
| width = 22%
}}
Mayfield sang openly about civil rights and black pride,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/dancing-in-the-street-detroits-radical-anthem|title="Dancing in the Street": Detroit's Radical Anthem|first=Rollo|last=Romig|date=July 22, 2013|website=New Yorker|access-date=October 7, 2019}}</ref> and was known for introducing social consciousness into [[African-American music]].<ref name="Thurber-1999" /> Having been raised in the Cabrini-Green projects of Chicago, he witnessed many of the tragedies of the urban ghetto first hand, and was quoted saying "With everything I saw on the streets as a young black kid, it wasn't hard during the later fifties and sixties for me to write my heartfelt way of how I visualized things, how I thought things ought to be."

Following the passing of the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]], his group the Impressions produced music that became the soundtrack to a summer of revolution. It is even said that "Keep On Pushing" became the number one sing along during the Freedom Rides.<ref name="curtismayfield">{{cite web|title = Curtis Mayfield :: Civil Rights {{!}} Curtis Mayfield|url = http://www.curtismayfield.com/civil-rights.html#sthash.ntkRZJP1.dpuf|website = www.curtismayfield.com|access-date =October 22, 2015}}</ref> Black students sang their songs as they marched to jail or protested outside their universities, while King often used "Keep On Pushing", "People Get Ready" and "We're A Winner" because of their ability to motivate and inspire marchers. Mayfield had quickly become a civil rights hero with his ability to inspire hope and courage.<ref name="Freeland">{{cite journal|last=Freeland|first=Gregory|title='We're a Winner': Popular Music and the Black Power Movement|journal=Social Movement Studies|year=2009|volume=8|issue=3|pages=261–288|doi=10.1080/14742830903024358|s2cid=144486183}}<!--|access-date=13 October 2011--></ref>

Mayfield was unique in his ability to fuse relevant social commentary with melodies and lyrics that instilled a hopefulness for a better future in his listeners. He wrote and recorded the soundtrack to the 1972 [[blaxploitation]] film ''Super Fly'' with the help of producer Johnny Pate. The soundtrack for ''Super Fly'' is regarded as an all-time great body of work that captured the essence of life in the ghetto while criticizing the tendency of young people to glorify the "glamorous" lifestyles of drug dealers and pimps, and illuminating the dark realities of drugs, addiction, and exploitation.<ref>{{cite web|title= Curtis Mayfield – 10 of the best|url= https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2015/aug/05/curtis-mayfield-10-best-soul-funk|website= The Guardian|access-date=October 27, 2015|first = Stevie|last = Chick|date= August 5, 2015}}</ref>

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 of people who were demanding their human rights. He has been compared to Martin Luther King Jr. for making a lasting impact in the civil rights struggle with his inspirational music.<ref name="Thurber-1999" /><ref name="curtismayfield" /> By the end of the decade Mayfield 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. Mayfield's "Keep On Pushing" was actually banned from several radio stations, including [[WLS-FM|WLS]] in his hometown of Chicago.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/nation-now/2018/02/22/black-history-curtis-mayfield-voice-civil-rights/1005396001/|title=In 1968, Curtis Mayfield was the voice of victory for civil rights|last=Scruggs|first=Afi-Odelia|date=February 22, 2018|work=USA Today}}</ref> Regardless of the persistent radio bans and loss of revenue, he continued his quest for equality right until his death.

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. "Freddie's Dead" is a graphic tale of street life,<ref name="Freeland" /> while "Pusherman" revealed the role of drug dealers in the urban ghettos.

==Personal life==
Mayfield was married twice.<ref name="Leigh-1999">{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-curtis-mayfield-1134844.html|title=Obituary: Curtis Mayfield|first=Spencer |last=Leigh|date=December 28, 1999|website=The Independent|language=en|access-date=November 1, 2019}}</ref> He had 10 children from different relationships. At the time of his death he was married to Altheida Mayfield. Together they had six children.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/superfly-widow-family-in-legal-financial-mess|title=Superfly Widow, Family in Legal, Financial Mess|last=Friedman|first=Roger|date=March 25, 2015|website=Fox News|language=en-US|access-date=November 1, 2019}}</ref>

===Accident===
On August 13, 1990, Mayfield became paralyzed from the neck down after stage lighting equipment fell on him while he was being introduced at an outdoor concert at Wingate Field in [[Flatbush, Brooklyn|Flatbush]], Brooklyn, New York.<ref name="Phillips-1990" /><ref name="NME Rock 'N' Roll Years">{{cite book| first= John| last= Tobler| year= 1992| title= NME Rock 'N' Roll Years| edition= 1st| publisher= Reed International Books Ltd| page= 473| id= CN 5585}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|date=October 3, 2016|title=Read Excerpt From Curtis Mayfield Bio Detailing Tragic Accident|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/read-excerpt-from-curtis-mayfield-bio-detailing-tragic-accident-126593/|access-date=June 23, 2021|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}}</ref> Two years after the accident, he sang the second verse of a remake of "[[Let's Do It Again (song)|Let's Do It Again]]" being produced by [[Gary Katz]] by the [[Repercussions (band)|Repercussions]] for ''[[A Tribute to Curtis Mayfield|All Men Are Brothers: A Tribute to Curtis Mayfield]]'', while lying on his back in the recording studio.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Applebome |first=Peter |date=1994-02-27 |title=POP MUSIC; . . . But Curtis Mayfield Won't Be Forgotten, Either |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/02/27/arts/pop-music-but-curtis-mayfield-won-t-be-forgotten-either.html |access-date=2023-04-07 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Although he was unable to play the guitar, he continued to compose and sing, which he found he could do by lying down and letting gravity pull down on his chest and lungs. The 1996 album ''[[New World Order (album)|New World Order]]'' was recorded in this way, with vocals sometimes recorded in lines at a time.<ref name="Jet-2000">{{cite magazine|date=January 17, 2000|title=Music World Mourns Death of Curtis Mayfield|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZTsDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA58|magazine=Jet|volume=97|issue=6|pages=55–59|access-date=November 27, 2011}}</ref>

===Final years and death===
Mayfield received the [[Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award]] in 1994. In February 1998, he had to have his right leg [[amputated]] due to diabetes. He 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 signees and labelmates [[the Staple Singers]].

Mayfield's last appearance on record was with the group [[Bran Van 3000]] on the song "[[Astounded (Bran Van 3000 song)|Astounded]]" for their album ''[[Discosis]]'', recorded just before his death and released in 2001. However, his health had steadily declined following his paralysis, so his vocals were not new but were instead lifted from archive recordings, including "Move On Up".

Mayfield died from complications of [[type 2 diabetes]] at 7:20 EST (12:20 GMT) on December 26, 1999, at the North Fulton Regional Hospital in [[Roswell, Georgia]].<ref name="Jet-2000" /> He was survived by his wife, Altheida Mayfield; his mother, Mariam Jackson; 10 children; two sisters, Carolyn Falls and Judy Mayfield; a brother, Kenneth Mayfield; and seven grandchildren.<ref name="Thurber-1999" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1999/12/27/singer-songwriter-curtis-mayfield-dies/3d3c153c-2eac-4621-8d4e-f9491e24e041/|title=Singer, Songwriter Curtis Mayfield Dies|last=Weil|first=Martin|date=December 27, 1999|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref><ref name="Jet-2000" />

==Musical legacy==
=== Influence ===
Mayfield was among the first of a new wave of mainstream black [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]] performing artists and composers injecting [[social commentary]] into their work.<ref name=HallOfFame /> This "message music" proved immensely popular during the 1960s and 1970s.

Mayfield taught himself how to play guitar, tuning it to the black keys of the piano, giving the guitar an open F-sharp tuning that he used throughout his career.<ref name=georgia>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/curtis-mayfield-1942-1999|first=Ian|last=Hill|title= Curtis Mayfield (1942–1999)|encyclopedia= New Georgia Encyclopedia|date=March 25, 2013}}</ref><ref>Carpenter, Bill. ''Uncloudy Days: The Gospel Music Encyclopedia'', p. 273. CMP Media, 2005. {{ISBN|0879308419}}. Accessed November 20, 2008.</ref> He primarily sang in [[falsetto]] [[vocal register|register]]. His guitar playing, singing, and socially aware song-writing influenced a range of artists, including [[Jimi Hendrix]], [[Bob Marley]], [[Tracy Chapman]], [[Sly Stone]], [[Marvin Gaye]], [[Stevie Wonder]] and [[Sinéad O'Connor]].<ref name=boz/><ref name=singers/><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pLgqFaYmgw8C&pg=PA247|first=Bob|last=Gulla|page=247|title=Icons of R & B and Soul|publisher=ABC-CLIO|date= 2007|isbn=9780313340444}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/jun/11/popandrock|title=Sinead O'Connor: Nothing compares to Curtis Mayfield's Fool For You|work=The Guardian|date=June 7, 2007|access-date=December 19, 2014}}</ref>

In 2017, it was reported that [[Lionel Richie]] had secured the rights to produce a biographical film about Mayfield. Richie said, "I'm so grateful to be working closely with [Mayfield's widow] Altheida Mayfield, [son] Cheaa Mayfield and the Curtis Mayfield Estate and couldn't be happier to be moving forward on this amazing project about a one-of-a-kind music genius."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/lionel-richie-to-produce-curtis-mayfield-biopic-121331/|title=Lionel Richie to Produce Curtis Mayfield Biopic|last=Kreps|first=Daniel|date=October 11, 2017|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US|access-date=November 1, 2019}}</ref>

===Accolades===
* 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.
* In 2019, ''[[Super Fly (soundtrack)|Super Fly]]'' was selected by the [[Library of Congress]] for preservation in the [[National Recording Registry]] for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/jay-z-a-speech-by-sen-robert-f-kennedy-and-schoolhouse-rock-among-recordings-deemed-classics-by-library-of-congress/2019/03/19/f7eb08ea-4a58-11e9-9663-00ac73f49662_story.html?|title=Jay-Z, a speech by Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and 'Schoolhouse Rock!' among recordings deemed classics by Library of Congress|last=Andrews|first=Travis M.|date=March 20, 2019|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=March 25, 2019}}</ref>

====''Rolling Stone'' rankings====
* The Impressions hits, "[[People Get Ready]]" and "For Your Precious Love" are both ranked on ''Rolling Stone''′s list of the ''500 Greatest Songs of All Time'', as No. 24 and No. 327 respectively.
* Mayfield is ranked No. 34 on ''Rolling Stone''′s list of the ''100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time''.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-guitarists-20111123/curtis-mayfield-20111122 |title=100 Greatest Guitarists: Curtis Mayfield |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=April 19, 2014}}</ref>
*Mayfield is ranked no. 38 on ''Rolling Stone''′s list of the ''200 Greatest Singers of All Time''.<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-singers-all-time-1234642307/curtis-mayfield-4-1234643147/ | title=The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time | magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] | date=January 2023 }}</ref>
* Mayfield is ranked No. 40 on ''Rolling Stone''′s list of the ''100 Greatest Singers of All Time''.<ref name="singers">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-singers-of-all-time-19691231/curtis-mayfield-20101202|title=100 Greatest Singers No 40 Curtis Mayfield|magazine=Rolling Stone}}</ref>
*Mayfield is ranked No. 48 on ''Rolling Stone'''s list of the ''250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time''.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-guitarists-1234814010/|title=The 250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time|first=Rolling|last=Stone|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=October 13, 2023}}</ref>
* Mayfield's album ''[[Super Fly (soundtrack)|Super Fly]]'' is ranked No. 72 on ''Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time''.
* Mayfield is ranked No. 78 on ''Rolling Stone''′s list of the ''[[Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time|100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-songwriters#curtis-mayfield|title=100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=October 27, 2017}}</ref>
* In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked Mayfield No. 98 on their [[Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time|list of the ''100 Greatest Artists of All Time'']].<ref>{{cite magazine|title = The Immortals: The First Fifty| magazine= Rolling Stone| date= December 3, 2010| issue= 946| url =https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-artists-of-all-time-19691231/curtis-mayfield-19691231}}</ref>
* The Impressions' album/CD The Anthology 1961–1977 is ranked at No. 179 on ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|500 Greatest Albums of All Time]].
* Mayfield's eponymous album ''[[Curtis (Curtis Mayfield album)|Curtis]]'' is ranked No. 275 on ''Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time''.

==Awards and nominations==
In 1972, the French Academy of Jazz awarded Mayfield's debut solo album ''Curtis'' the Prix [[Otis Redding]] for best R&B record.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=April 8, 1972|title=Special French Award to Satchmo|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/70s/1972/BB-1972-04-08.pdf|magazine=Billboard|page=49}}</ref>

===Hall of Fame===
* 1991: Along with his group the Impressions, he was inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]].
* 1999: Mayfield was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist making him one of the few artists to become double inductees.
* 1999: Mayfield was inducted into the [[Songwriters Hall of Fame]] just prior to his death.<ref name="Songwriters HOF1">{{cite web| url= http://www.songwritershalloffame.org/index.php/exhibits/bio/C169|title=Curtis Mayfield Biography|date=2002–2013| publisher= The Songwriters Hall of Fame|url-status=dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140221202200/http://www.songwritershalloffame.org/index.php/exhibits/bio/C169|archive-date=February 21, 2014 |access-date=April 8, 2013}}</ref>
* 2003: As a member of the Impressions, he was posthumously inducted into the [[Vocal Group Hall of Fame]].

===Grammy Awards===
Mayfield was nominated for eight [[Grammy Award]]s during his career.<ref>{{cite web| url= https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/curtis-mayfield|title=Curtis Mayfield|website=Recording Academy Grammy Awards}}</ref> He is a winner of the prestigious [[Grammy Legend Award]] and [[Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award]]. {{awards table}}
|-
| 1964
| "[[Keep On Pushing (song)|Keep On Pushing]]" 
| [[Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance|Best R&B Performance]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| 1972
| "[[Freddie's Dead]]"
| [[Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance|Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| 1972
| "Freddie's Dead"
| [[Grammy Award for Best R&B Song|Best R&B Song]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| 1972
| "Junkie Chase"
| [[Grammy Award for Best R&B Instrumental Performance|Best R&B Instrumental Performance]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| 1972
| ''[[Super Fly (soundtrack)|Super Fly]]''
| [[Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media|Best Score Written for Motion Picture or Television Special]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| 1994
| Himself
| [[Grammy Legend Award|Legend Award]]
| {{won}}
|-
| 1995
| Himself
| [[Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award|Lifetime Achievement Award]]
| {{won}}
|-
| 1996
| ''[[New World Order (album)|New World Order]]''
| [[Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance|Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| 1997
| "New World Order"
| [[Grammy Award for Best R&B Song|Best R&B Song]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| 1997
| "Back to Living Again"
| [[Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance|Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male]]
| {{nom}}
{{end}}

====Grammy Hall of Fame====
{{awards table}}
|-
| 1998
| "[[People Get Ready]]" {{small|(with the Impressions)}}
| Hall of Fame (Single)
| {{Won|Inducted}}
|-
| 1998
| ''[[Super Fly (soundtrack)|Super Fly]]''
| Hall of Fame (Album)
| {{Won|Inducted}}
|-
| 2019
| "[[Move On Up]]"
| Hall of Fame (Single)
| {{Won|Inducted}}
{{end}}

==Discography==
{{main|Curtis Mayfield discography}}
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
* ''[[Curtis (Curtis Mayfield album)|Curtis]]'' (1970)
* ''[[Roots (Curtis Mayfield album)|Roots]]'' (1971)
* ''[[Super Fly (soundtrack)|Super Fly]]'' (1972)
* ''[[Back to the World (Curtis Mayfield album)|Back to the World]]'' (1973)
* ''[[Claudine (soundtrack)|Claudine]]'' (with [[Gladys Knight & the Pips]]) (1974)
* ''[[Sweet Exorcist (album)|Sweet Exorcist]]'' (1974)
* ''[[Got to Find a Way]]'' (1974)
* ''[[Let's Do It Again (soundtrack)|Let's Do It Again]]'' (1975)
* ''[[There's No Place Like America Today]]'' (1975)
* ''[[Give, Get, Take and Have]]'' (1976)
* ''[[Sparkle (soundtrack)|Sparkle]]'' (with [[Aretha Franklin]]) (1976)
{{col-2}}
* ''[[Never Say You Can't Survive]]'' (1977)
* ''[[Short Eyes (album)|Short Eyes]]'' (1977)
* ''[[Do It All Night (album)|Do It All Night]]'' (1978)
* ''[[Heartbeat (Curtis Mayfield album)|Heartbeat]]'' (1979)
* ''[[Something to Believe In (Curtis Mayfield album)|Something to Believe In]]'' (1980)
* ''[[The Right Combination (Linda Clifford and Curtis Mayfield album)|The Right Combination]]'' (with [[Linda Clifford]]) (1980)
* ''[[Love Is the Place]]'' (1982)
* ''[[Honesty (Curtis Mayfield album)|Honesty]]'' (1983)
* ''[[We Come in Peace with a Message of Love]]'' (1985)
* ''[[Take It to the Streets (Curtis Mayfield album)|Take It to the Streets]]'' (1990)
* ''[[New World Order (album)|New World Order]]'' (1996)
{{col-end}}

==Filmography==
* ''[[Super Fly (1972 film)|Super Fly]]'' (1972) as himself
* ''[[Save the Children (film)|Save the Children]]'' (1973) as himself
* ''[[Short Eyes (film)|Short Eyes]]'' (1977) as Pappy
* ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (film)|Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'' (1978) as Guest

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.CurtisMayfield.com Official Curtis Mayfield Website]
* {{IMDb name|0562631}}
* {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p4861}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080206000853/http://openvault.wgbh.org/saybrother/MLA001079/index.html%3A "Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions perform 'We're a Winner' "] for the WGBH series, [https://web.archive.org/web/20100306075844/http://openvault.wgbh.org/series/Say%20Brother/ Say Brother]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120715094221/http://www.socialistaction.org/news/200001/curtis.html Obituary from Socialist Action]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/579113.stm BBC Obituary]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080424045050/http://rbmaradio.com/ARCHIVE.153.0.php?extID=0&showID=521 RBMA Radio On Demand – Across 135th Street – Volume 10 – Curtis Mayfield Tribute – Chairman Mao (RBMA, Egotrip)]
* [http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/Curti 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
* [http://www.waxpoetics.com/features/articles/gangster-boogie Curtis Mayfield and the ''Super Fly'' legacy – Wax Poetics] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209004940/http://www.waxpoetics.com/features/articles/gangster-boogie |date=February 9, 2014 }}

{{CurtisMayfield}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Awards for Curtis Mayfield
| list =
{{Grammy Legend Award}}
{{1991 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame}}
{{1999 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame}}
}}
{{The Impressions}}

{{Authority control}}

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[[Category:1942 births]]
[[Category:1999 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American male singers]]
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[[Category:African-American guitarists]]
[[Category:African-American male singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:American male singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:American amputees]]
[[Category:American funk guitarists]]
[[Category:American funk singers]]
[[Category:American male guitarists]]
[[Category:American rhythm and blues guitarists]]
[[Category:American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:American rhythm and blues singers]]
[[Category:American soul guitarists]]
[[Category:American soul musicians]]
[[Category:American soul singers]]
[[Category:Charly Records artists]]
[[Category:American countertenors]]
[[Category:Deaths from diabetes in the United States]]
[[Category:Grammy Legend Award winners]]
[[Category:Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners]]
[[Category:Guitarists from Chicago]]
[[Category:The Impressions members]]
[[Category:People with tetraplegia]]
[[Category:Progressive soul musicians]]
[[Category:Psychedelic soul musicians]]
[[Category:Record producers from Illinois]]
[[Category:RSO Records artists]]
[[Category:Singer-songwriters from Illinois]]
[[Category:Singers from Chicago]]