The Impressions, circa 1960: Clockwise from top: Fred Cash, Richard Brooks> Curtis Mayfield, Arthur Brooks, and Sam (Pooden. Inset: Original lead singer Jerry Butler. PERFORMERS Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions BY J O E M cE W E N from the union of two friends, Jerry Butler and Curtis Mayfield of Chicago, Illinois. The two had sung together in church as adolescents, and had traveled with the Northern Jubilee Gospel Singers and the Traveling Souls Spiritual Church. It was Butler who con­ vinced his friend Mayfield to leave his own struggling group, the Alfatones, and join him, Sam Gooden, and brothers Richard and Arthur Brooks— the remnants of another strug­ gling vocal group called the Roosters. According to legend, an impressive performance at Major Lance, Walter Jackson, and Jan Bradley; he also a Chicago fashion show brought the quintet to the at­ wrote music that seemed to speak for the entire civil tention of Falcon Records, and their debut single was rights movement. A succession of singles that began in recorded shortly thereafter. “For Your 1964 with “Keep On Pushing” and Precious Love” by “The Impressions SELECTED the moody masterpiece “People Get featuring Jerry Butler” (as the label DISCOGRAPHY Ready” stretched through such exu­ read) was dominated by Butler’s reso­ berant wellsprings of inspiration as nant baritone lead, while Mayfield’s For Your Precious Love.......................... Impressions “We’re A Winner” and Mayfield solo (July 1958, Falcon-Abner) fragile tenor wailed innocently in the recordings like “(Don’t Worry) If background. Several follow-ups He Will Break Your Heart......................Jerry Butler There’s A Hell Below We’re All Going (October 1960, Veejay) failed, Butler left to pursue a solo ca­ To Go” and “Move On Up,” placing reer, and the Impressions floundered. Gypsy Woman..........................................Impressions Curtis Mayfield at the forefront of (November 1961, ABO In 1960, with the group still soul music’s social conscience. Often I’m So Proud............................................ Impressions struggling, Butler and Mayfield again (April 1964, ABC) exuding a quiet pride and down-to- joined forces to write a song that earth dignity, these songs moved a Keep On Pushing.................................... Impressions would not only refurbish Butler’s fal­ (June 1964, ABC) generation of Americans. tering solo career, but also set the People Get Ready.................................. impressions While Jerry Butler fashioned a tone for Mayfield’s future efforts as a (February 1965, ABC) string of path-breaking hits with writer and producer Set to the W e’re A W in n er.................................. Impressions Philadelphia producers Kenny Gam­ Brazilian b a io n rhythm popularized (January 1968, ABC) ble and Leon Huff, Curtis Mayfield by the Drifters, “He Will Break Your I Loved A nd I L o st...................................Impressions made his mark in the ’70s with a se­ Heart” featured Mayfield’s spare gui­ (July 1968, ABC) ries of best-selling soundtrack al­ tar figures and Butler’s dignified vocal Hey, Western Union Man . Jerry Butler bums for himself (Superfly), Aretha pleas, echoed at the refrain by Curtis’ (Sept.1968, Mercury) Franklin, the Staple Singers, and wispy tenor. “He Will Break Your Only The Strong Survive . Jerry Butler Gladys Knight & The Pips. Quiet (March 1969, Mercury) Heart” topped the B illb o a rd R&B through much of the 1980s, Mayfield chart for seven consecutive weeks, Choice Of Colors............ Impressions showed renewed energy as a new (June 1969, Curtom) and marked the beginning of a re­ decade dawned. New recordings sur­ (Don’t Worry) If There’s A Hell markable creative run which lasted Below W e’re A ll G oing To G o......... Curtis Mayfield faced, public appearances became well into the 1970s. (November 1970, Curtom) more frequent, and artists as diverse The reformed Impressions, with Freddie’s Dead ....................................Curtis Mayfield as Lenny Kravitz and Ice-T cited him Fred Cash now in the fold, soon be­ (August 1972, Cúrtom) as a major influence. In August of came a dominant force in black mu­ 1990, an accident on an outdoor sic. Mayfield was adept at crafting aching, tender love stage in Brooklyn severely injured Curtis Mayfield and songs for his group (“I’m So Proud,” Tve Been Trying”) left his creative future in .deep doubt. Our prayers and as well as for fellow Chicago soul stars Gene Chandler, thoughts are with him. Page 15 Chess Master: iVillk Dixon (center)^^|r an<Mriends at the 1989 la^jmarking of the ChessP Studios, 2120 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago. HE HISTORY OF ^ rock & roll is to a — great extent the history of particular musical elements associated with geo­ graphic regions and/or inde­ pendent record labels. The best-remembered proponents of these “sounds”— of Memphis, of Detroit, of New Orleans— are the marquee performers who brought the sound to the public, and the producers who served as catalysts for the stars’ success. But another, less prom­ inent component in the equation was the studio environment, its session musicians and engineers. Imagine Motown without Hol- land-Dozier-Holland and the Funk Brothers house band, or Stax without the MGs and the Memphis Horns. .and the list goes on. The celebrated “sound” of Chess Records was really a succession of sounds. From its inception in 1947 as Aristocrat to its demise in the mid-’70s, the Chicago-based company founded by Leonard and Phil The Chess Sìmdio Scene of Chicago by Don Snowden “Those studio musicians were moving like Chess mirrored the changing times Chess sessions from 1955 to 1960. with its output of jump blues, mod­ “There is the producer in the theatri­ em jazz, gospel, Delta-rooted Ckt- , cal sense, who puts together the cago blues, vocal-group R&B, classic money and hires the musicians. rock & roll, comedy, and soul music. There’s the producer on the session Chess’ dominance in Chicago who says, ‘The tempo’s wrong, we’re over the years allowed the company going to do it a little faster.’ And to recmit session players from the there’s the producer who says, ‘Okay, cream of the Windy City’s freelance that’s it, next case.’ musicians. Drummer A1 Duncan and “Leonard Chess functioned fre­ bassist Louis Satterfield were regulars quently and very well as the theatrical in the pit band of the Regal Theater form of producer. He was then per­ in the early ’60s. Phil Upchurch was fectly content to let the people on the high school buddies with Curtis floor do the job. .Will [Dixon] would Mayfield, played on many early Im­ run ’em off in a comer somewhere pressions tracks, and handled the and rehearse them a bit, and we’d do guitar when the Motown rhythm sec­ the session. tion rolled into Veejay to cut John ■ “We just continued to churn out Lee Hooker’s “Boom Boom.” Gene this stuff year after year, including “Daddy G” Barge brought his saxo- some of the most horrible stuff, to my phonic legacy (including Chuck taste, I’ve ever m n across, and some Willis’ “The Stroll” and all of Gary stuff that was absolutely wonderful. U.S. Bonds’s hits) from Norfolk, Vir­ There are things like ‘Back In The. ginia to produce, arrange, and per­ ¡USA and ‘I’m A Man’ that you know form on Chess sides by Little Milton are classics when you cut them. You and Etta James. Phil Chess don’t know if it’s going to sell, but you know you’re doing somethingjisefulS UT CHESS WAS AN EVOLU- In May, 1 9 5 ^ Chess moved again, to 2 1 2 0 South ' tionary process that endured five Michigan Ayeupe in the heart of Chicago’s Record Row. I locations and multiple sonic per­ This new Ter-Mar studio housed administrative offices mutations beginning in 1947 at and a small rehearsal room cu m demo studio on its first its original storefront on 71st and Phillips. By 1950, the floor and the main recording, facility on the second. The Chess brothers had shifted their primary focus to Delta- new room “w^S good for its day because it was 3ive-er,’|| bred blues (following Muddy Waters’ seminal 1948 hit, says Ron Malo, the engineer who took over from Chis­ “I Can’t Be Satisfied”), changed their label’s name from holm in early i960 and ran Chess sessions for the next Aristocrat to Chess, and moved to new quarters at 49th ten years. “We had to deaden it down when we went to. and Cottage Grove. In 1951, Willie Dixon was lured four-track and eight-track to get more separation. It had away from his Big Three Trio with the offer of a Chess, angled walls and adjustable louvers in the walls. staff job. Over the next five years, recording in their “The musicians and singers were ready to perform own back room or at other Chicago studios, like Univer­ — when that red light went on, that was ‘money time’ sal, Chess cut a string of some 60 R&B chart hits by and they p e r fo r m e d . We didn’t have earphones, baffles, such future icons as Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Lit­ or separators. BSjly Stewart’s S u m m ertim e albuin was to­ tle Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, Chuck Berry, and Bo tally live,, no.overdub^, Billy Stewart was standing in the Diddley— with Willie Dixon as the brothers’ right-hand middle of the band, singing live and conducting the or­ man on the studio floor. The supporting cast included chestra. 1 remixed the four-track—just doing the fades Jimmy Rogers, Robert Jr. Lockwood, David Myers, and adding a little echo— in 45 minutes, an album with Louis Myers, and Luther Tucker (guitars); Dixon and 32 minutes of music.” Ransom Knowling (basses); Fred Below, Odie Payne,, New faces arrived at 2120— veteran R&B producer Clifton James, and A1 Duncan (drums); Little Walter, Ralph Bass and soul queen Etta James, and younger Sonny Èoy, and Big Walter Horton (harp); Harold blues players Buddy Guy and Otis Rush.