Curtis Mayfield - The Most Underrated Artist in Music History

In which The Curmudgeons passionately laud, lavish and defend one of the true gentle giants of popular music--and certainly its most underappreciated. Curtis Mayfield was an absolute pioneer of soul, R&B and funk. Mayfield produced an astonishing body of work, first as the bandleader for soul trio The Impressions in the 1960s, and then as a prolific solo artist in the 1970s. He tempered the anger and rage of Black America with the temperance and observant tenderness of a preacher, and he filtered that emotional tension through rich arrangements laden with strings, horns, fuzzy bass and more than dollop of da funk. We revisit the best of his music, covering select singles from his Impressions days and then dissecting his first eight solo albums. 

 

Enjoy the music of the great Curtis Mayfield by accessing our Spotify playlist:

 

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4XF7kiE4LNWZesC2GQEhWm?si=43fa7e1ba07f441d

 

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(00:52 - 04:46) - Arturo Andrade sets the parameters for our discussion of Curtis Mayfield

 

(05:27 - 17:12) - The Parallel Universe, featuring reviews of new albums by Nadia Reid and Horsegirl

 

(18:11 - 01:09:11) - We discuss Curtis Mayfield's origins as a musician and then run through 10 great Impressions songs and his first eight studio albums, including the unbelievable Superfly

 

(01:10:36 - 01:24:00) - We discuss the latter half of Mayfield's career and espouse on his big picture legacy

  

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Co-produced and co-hosted by The Curmudgeons - Arturo Andrade and Christopher O'Connor