A man with an interesting life… Curtis Mayfield had a 1972 hit with the title track from the Superfly soundtrack.
curtis mayfield fax
- Born in Chicago, in 1942, Curtis Lee Mayfield is remembered as one of the most influential musicians behind politically conscious African-American music.
- His first success was with The Impressions during the civil rights movement of the late 1950s and 1960s before becoming a solo artist.
- In 1965, he wrote People Get Ready for The Impressions – the song is ranked at #24 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, is included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll and, in 1998, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998.
- In 1972, Curtis wrote the soundtrack for the blaxploitation movie, Superfly. The soundtrack produced two hit records, Freddie’s Dead, which peaked at #4 on the US charts, and Superfly which peaked at #8 in the US and #52 in the UK.
- In 1990, Curtis was paralysed from the neck down after lighting equipment fell on him during a live performance in New York. He continued his career as a recording artist, releasing his final album New World Order in 1996.
- Curtis was awarded a Grammy Legend Award in 1994 and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995. 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.
- Curtis died from complications of type 2 diabetes in 1999.
superfly fax
- Superfly was written by Curtis Mayfield, as the title track of the 1972 soundtrack – it plays over the movie’s closing credits.
- It peaked at #8 on the US singles charts and #52 on the UK charts.
- The song plays over the film’s closing credits.
- The bassline and percussion break from the song’s introduction have been used in a number of rap songs. Curtis himself sampled the original song in Superfly 1990, a duet with rapper Ice-T.
- The song appeared in the 2012 movie Dark Shadows.
- Superfly lyrics.
superfly – curtis mayfield – 1972 -video
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