Curtis Mayfield: The Songwriters

Curtis Mayfield: The Songwriters

Curtis Mayfield’s poetically funky mix of soul and street-real lyrics revolutionized R&B, first with his ’60s group The Impressions on socially conscious cuts like “Choice of Colors,” and then solo with propulsive tunes like “Move On Up.” But it took a titan like Aretha Franklin to do justice to his modern-gospel anthem “People Get Ready,” and when Fishbone added a punk edge to “Freddie’s Dead,” it underlined Mayfield’s pan-generational appeal.

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