A great influence...

Curtis Mayfield (vocals, guitar; 6/3/42 - 12/26/99) is among an elite few members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame who have been inducted more than once. Mayfield was first inducted with the Impressions in 1991 and then as a solo artist in 1999. His solo career, which began in 1970, is significant for the forthright way in which he addressed issues of black identity and self-awareness. He has been cited as an influence by such latter-day performers as Lenny Kravitz, Ice-T, Public Enemy and Arrested Development. Mayfield’s ability to voice hard truths through funky, uplifting music has rendered him one of the great soul icons. June 3, 1942: Curtis Mayfield is born in Chicago, Illinois. 1958: Curtis Mayfield joins the Impressions, a gospel-influenced R&B vocal group that enjoys great success in the Sixties with such groundbreaking singles as “Gypsy Woman,” “It’s All Right,” “Amen,” “People Get Ready,” “Woman’s Got Soul,” “We’re a Winner” and “This is My Country.” October 21, 1972: ‘Superfly’ tops the Billboard’s album chart for the first of four weeks. This soundtrack to a film about a Harlem drug dealer’s attempt at a final “big score” delivers two major hits: “Freddie’s Dead” (#2 R&B, #4 pop) and “Superfly” (#5 R&B, #8 pop).