Lyrics | Artists | Curtis Mayfield

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Curtis Mayfield

One of the first African Americans to write social commentaries, Curtis Mayfield was brought up in relative poverty in Chicago by a single mother. He taught himself guitar, developing his distinctive falsetto vocals and launched his music career in 1956 with The Roosters, which also featured Jerry Butler and evolved into The Impressions. They had one big hit with For Your Precious Love and, when Butler quit, Mayfield took over as lead singer and songwriter, writing a string of classic hits through the 1960s such as People Get Ready, Keep On Pushing and It's All Right. He was one ...