Remembering Curtis Mayfield

One of the all-time greats of R&B and rock and roll, Curtis Mayfield died today (26 December 1999)

One of the all-time greats of R&B and rock and roll, Curtis Mayfield died today (26 December 1999).

Mayfield had been seriously ill for the past nine years after being paralyzed in an on-stage accident when a lighting rig fell on him while performing in Brooklyn.

Mayfield wrote many classic hits for the Impressions, Jerry Butler and other artists such as Major Lance, including such songs as "For Your Precious Love" and "People Get Ready."

Among his foremost accomplishments was bringing topical songs into R&B, championing the civil rights movement of the '60s which such tunes as "Keep On Pushing," "We're A Winner" and "Choice of Colors." Why mention it here? Well, Dylan recorded "People Get Ready" a couple of times, and it is obvious he was influenced by Mayfield (the Impressions' "Keep On Pushing" album is on the "Bringing It All Back Home" cover) and I suspect Mayfield was influenced by Dylan as well.

Mayfield was also a great and distinctive guitarist, and the Mayfield influence can be found in Dylan's own guitar playing every now and then as well as some arrangements of his songs, especially during the last decade, from the recent performances of "Ring Them Bells" to the '95 Electric Factory rendition of "Every Grain of Sand" which had a guitar interlude that was pure Mayfield.

Even though he could no longer perform, Mayfield continued to sing, write and record.

This is another major loss.