There have been many soulful singers in our midst; Teddy Pendergrass, Isaac Hayes, Marvin Gaye or Luther Vandross come to mind. There will only be however one Curtis Mayfield though. Curtis grew up in Chicago, singing in the choir, joining a regional group called the ‘Impressions.’ Curtis was a civil rights activist, leaving the Impressions to create the movie soundtrack for the film ‘Superfly,’ which became a cutting edge ‘truth to power’ film in 1972.
Along with his group the Impressions, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 as a member of the Impressions, then as a solo artist in 1999. Curtis is also a member of the Grammy Songwriters Hall of Fame for the hit “People Get Ready” and his LP ‘Super Fly.’ Sadly, Curtis died in Georgia in 1999 at the age of 57.