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WORK TITLE: Traveling Soul
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http://www.chicagoreviewpress.com/mayfield–todd-contributor-345326.php * http://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2016/09/28/story-curtis-mayfield-told-son-traveling-soul * http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/ct-curtis-mayfield-bio-kogan-sidewalks-ent-0927-20160926-column.html
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Male.
EDUCATION:Morehouse College, B.A., 1987.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Entrepreneur and writer. Curtom Records of Atlanta, president, 1990-97; Cantor Fitzgerald, interest rate swaps broker, 1997-98; Loop Capital Markets, SVP-fixed income sales, 2000-14; Pill Hill Publishing, owner, 2014-; Ware Reality Group, real estate broker, 2016-.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Todd Mayfield is the author of Traveling Soul: The Life of Curtis Mayfield and is Curtis Mayfield’s second-oldest son. Mayfield earned a degree in banking and finance from Morehouse College and then worked for a number of years in the field of finance—at Cantor Fitzgerald and Loop Capital Markets. He has also been an entrepreneur, as president of Curtom Records of Atlanta and more recently as the owner of Pill Hill Publishing, an independent music publisher.
Traveling Soul
Traveling Soul, written with the aid of journalist Travis Atria, documents the legacy, career, and personal life of musician Mayfield’s father, Curtis Mayfield. Rick Kogan in the Chicago Tribune noted that “there have been previous Mayfield biographies but none reach this one’s levels of intimacy and depth.”
The perspective of Curtis Mayfield’s son provides a uniquely intimate portrait of the musician. The narrative includes depictions of Mayfield as a professional musician as well as more personal memories of the man as a father to the author. The book places Curtis Mayfield within the context of his time, describing the social and political climate of the moment. Beyond his musical contributions, Mayfield was a politically conscious man, voicing his political interests through his songs. Personally, his son suggests, Mayfield was a highly private and ambitious man who was dedicated to his family.
Traveling Soul begins with Curtis Mayfield’s impoverished childhood in Louisiana, where he was surrounded by church and family. His family moved to Chicago when he was five, introducing him to city life and some of the individuals that would be most influential to him as a musician. It was in school in Chicago that he met Jerry Butler and was introduced to what would become his band, the Impressions.
The biography provides an in-depth history of Mayfield’s abundant musical career. After leaving the Impressions, he pursued a solo singing career, though he still penned all of the songs for the band. In addition to creating radio hits, Mayfield wrote film soundtracks, started his own record label, and served for over thirty years as Cook County Board commissioner.
As a social justice fighter, Mayfield used his musical influence to rouse support. Many of his songs, including “Keep on Pushing,” “People Get Ready,” and “We’re a Winner,” became rallying cries for the movement. Mayfield experienced racism and injustices throughout his life, from his upbringing in impoverished Louisiana to the Jim Crow laws that held him back as he worked to get his music out. In addition to providing political music, Mayfield was a pioneer in his career decisions, being one of the first black performers to start a record label.
The book concludes at the end of Curtis Mayfield’s musical career and life. After finding much fame in the 1960s and 1970s, his success declined in the 1980s, and, after an onstage accident paralyzed him from the shoulders down in the 1990s, his health rapidly declined. A contributor to Publisher’s Weekly wrote, “This is an affectionate portrait and a fascinating, balanced account of a tormented soul.” Bill Baars, reviewing the book for Library Journal, said simply, “This book is super fly; people get ready.” In the Chicago Tribune, Kogan commented that Traveling Soul is a “wonderfully personal and very detailed look at a remarkable life.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Library Journal, September 1, 2016, Bill Baars, review of Traveling Soul: The Life of Curtis Mayfield, p. 109.
Publishers Weekly, August 22, 2016, review of Traveling Soul, p. 106.
ONLINE
Chicago Tribune, http://www.chicagotribune.com (September 26, 2016), Rick Kogan, review of Traveling Soul.
Story of Curtis Mayfield Told by Son in ‘Traveling Soul’
Nick Blumberg | September 28, 2016 2:10 pm
536
If you only know Curtis Mayfield from his smash ‘70s hit “Superfly,” or from the love songs he sang with The Impressions, you barely know the Chicago native at all.
Raised largely in the Cabrini-Green public housing project, Mayfield's career as a singer, songwriter, and record label owner spanned decades before it was cut short by a paralyzing accident on stage.
In the 1960s, Mayfield wrote and sang civil rights anthems, including the frequently-covered “People Get Ready.”
Curtis Mayfield as a newborn, Chicago 1942. (Courtesy the author’s collection)Curtis Mayfield as a newborn, Chicago 1942. (Courtesy the author’s collection)
Curtis in Chattanooga in 1958 after the release of "For Your Precious Love." He would soon lose the processed hair look. (Courtesy the author’s collection)Curtis in Chattanooga in 1958 after the release of "For Your Precious Love." He would soon lose the processed hair look. (Courtesy the author’s collection)
Curtis at age 18 with his first car, a 1952 Mercedes, at Cabrini-Green in 1960. (Courtesy the author’s collection)Curtis at age 18 with his first car, a 1952 Mercedes, at Cabrini-Green in 1960. (Courtesy the author’s collection)
Curtis at the Apollo Theater in New York City, performing with the Impressions circa 1959. (Courtesy the author’s collection)Curtis at the Apollo Theater in New York City, performing with the Impressions circa 1959. (Courtesy the author’s collection)
Curtis's mother, Marion, outside the family's Cabrini-Green home, Chicago 1963. (Courtesy the author’s collection)Curtis's mother, Marion, outside the family's Cabrini-Green home, Chicago 1963. (Courtesy the author’s collection)
The Impressions rehearsing in the studio, Chicago circa 1965. (Courtesy the author’s collection)The Impressions rehearsing in the studio, Chicago circa 1965. (Courtesy the author’s collection)
Curtis and Jackie Wilson, circa 1967. (Courtesy the author’s collection)Curtis and Jackie Wilson, circa 1967. (Courtesy the author’s collection)
Curtis and Todd Mayfield, Chicago 1968. (Courtesy the author’s collection)Curtis and Todd Mayfield, Chicago 1968. (Courtesy the author’s collection)
The Impressions in Los Angeles circa 1969. (Courtesy the author’s collection)The Impressions in Los Angeles circa 1969. (Courtesy the author’s collection)
Curtis at the Miss Black America pageant 1969. (Courtesy the author’s collection)Curtis at the Miss Black America pageant 1969. (Courtesy the author’s collection)
Curtis at the Berlin Hilton, West Germany circa 1973. (Courtesy the author’s collection)Curtis at the Berlin Hilton, West Germany circa 1973. (Courtesy the author’s collection)
Curtis in his family's Cabrini-Green row house, May 1959. (Courtesy the author’s collection)Curtis in his family's Cabrini-Green row house, May 1959. (Courtesy the author’s collection)
Backstage before a concert, circa 1973. From left, Curtis's partner Diane and her son Tracy; Curtis, daughter Sharon, and son Todd; and Grandma Sadie. (Courtesy the author’s collection)Backstage before a concert, circa 1973. From left, Curtis's partner Diane and her son Tracy; Curtis, daughter Sharon, and son Todd; and Grandma Sadie. (Courtesy the author’s collection)
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Joining host Eddie Arruza is Todd Mayfield, Curtis' second-oldest son. He wrote the new book “Traveling Soul: The Life of Curtis Mayfield” along with Travis Atria.
You can meet Todd Mayfield this weekend at the Promontory in Hyde Park, which hosts a tribute to Curtis Mayfield on Saturday afternoon.
‘Record Row’
In the 1996 WTTW documentary “Record Row,” narrated by the late Etta James, Mayfield discusses his first group, The Impressions, and their breakthrough song “For Your Precious Love.” Mayfield also discusses the role of music in the civil rights struggle, and his role as a pioneering record label owner.
Watch a clip from the documentary below. Also featured: musicians Jerry Butler, Gene Chandler, Bo Diddley, and Fontella Bass, and record producers Marshall Chess and Billy Davis.
Todd Mayfield
Todd Mayfield is Curtis Mayfield's second-oldest son. He is an entrepreneur and former financial services executive in Chicago, and promotes his father's music and legacy.
Mayfield, Todd with Travis Atria. Traveling Soul: The Life of Curtis Mayfield
Bill Baars
Library Journal. 141.14 (Sept. 1, 2016): p109.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.libraryjournal.com/
Listen
Full Text:
Mayfield, Todd with Travis Atria. Traveling Soul: The Life of Curtis Mayfield. Chicago Review. Oct. 2016.368p. photos, notes, bibliog. index. ISBN 9781613736791. $28.99; ebk. ISBN 9781613736821. MUSIC
A central figure in the melding of soul and social consciousness, Curtis Mayfield (1942-99) has been long overdue in receiving the recognition he deserves. Although he is a significant figure in Craig Werner's collective biography Higher Ground, Mayfield's son Todd has rectified matters with a full-length study that adds greater detail to the life and times of the "Gentle Genius," a prolific composer and performer who brought a distinctive style and unforgettable voice and message to the mainstream. Curtis's second son, the author provides an insider's view full of family stories and professional anecdotes, and befitting the nature of his father's work, places his oeuvre firmly in the social and political backdrop of the times. Best of all, it will leave you hearing amazing music. VERDICT Mayfield achieved both group success with the Impressions and as a solo artist; his music (and influence) will be treasured for years to come. This book is super fly; people get ready.--Bill Baars, Lake Oswego P.L., OR
Traveling Soul: The Life of Curtis Mayfield
Publishers Weekly. 263.34 (Aug. 22, 2016): p106.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Listen
Full Text:
Traveling Soul: The Life of Curtis Mayfield
Todd Mayfield, with Travis Atria. Chicago Review, $28.99 (368p) ISBN 978-1-6137-3679-1
According to this biography by his second eldest son, talented vocalist and musician Curtis Mayfield was an intensively private, overly ambitious man who loved his family. The author, aided by music journalist Atria, follows Mayfield's legacy from the cotton fields of Louisiana to the urban wilds of Chicago, where his strong willed mother surrounded the gifted child with church, faith, and family. As a leading member of the popular Impressions and as a solo star act, Mayfield never forgot the poverty of his time in the projects, his Jim Crow experiences on the Chitlin Circuit, or the glory years with one of the premier soul groups. His son devotes much ink to the bloody protests of the 1960s and his father's masterful writing of powerful anthems, including "I'm So Proud," "Keep On Pushing," "People Get Ready," and "We're a Winner." Mayfield the man and entertainer wanted the spotlight and money, and was never really a social person. He was often controlling and abusive in his relationships. Following the soaring achievement of Superfly, the singer's success declined during the 1980s, and his failed comeback ended when a 1990 stage mishap rendered him paralyzed and hopeless. This is an affectionate portrait and a fascinating, balanced account of a tormented soul. (Oct.)
A deep dive into the life of the great Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Mayfield
Singer-songwriter-guitarist Curtis Mayfield is remembered in “Traveling Soul: The Life of Curtis Mayfield,” a new book written by his son, Todd, and Travis Atria. (Soul Train Holdings)
Rick Kogan Rick KoganContact Reporter
Chicago Tribune
Curtis Mayfield was born in Cook County Hospital on June 3, 1942, and died Dec. 26, 1999, the same year he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In between those years he created music of such importance and impact that Rolling Stone magazine proclaimed, "More than Marvin Gaye, more than Stevie Wonder, maybe even more than James Brown, Curtis Mayfield captures the black experience in America during the '60s."
That's one of the many interesting things found in a new book, "Traveling Soul: The Life of Curtis Mayfield," written by Mayfield's second-oldest son, Todd, in collaboration with prolific writer Travis Atria. It is a wonderfully personal and very detailed look at a remarkable life. There have been previous Mayfield biographies but none reach this one's levels of intimacy and depth. "In presenting his story through my eyes," his son writes, "I have tried to tell it like it is and like it was, even when a crafted piece of public relations would have made him look better."
Mayfield's travels began early. He and his family (his father left when he was 5) moved all over the city. He attended more than eight grammar schools before he was 12, when the family moved into a tiny row house in the vast, ever-expanding, eventually dangerous and notorious Cabrini-Green housing complex on the Near North Side.
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It was there that he met an older kid named Jerry Butler and joined the singing group known as The Impressions. Its first hit was "For Your Precious Love" in 1958. Butler soon would leave for a solo career (he was quite successful and still performed on occasion after getting into politics, where he has served for more than 30 years as a Cook County Board commissioner). Mayfield wrote all of the Impressions' songs — and hundreds more — and it was hit after hit after hit: "Gypsy Woman," "It's Alright," "I'm So Proud'." Two of his songs, "Keep on Pushing" and "People Get Ready," became anthems for the civil rights movement.
Eventually Mayfield left the group for a solo career that included concerts, hit songs and writing soundtracks for films such as 1972's "Super Fly." He also started his own record label, Curtom Records (with Eddie Thomas), defining the sounds of Chicago soul in the 1960s and becoming one of the first African-American performers to run his own label.
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In August 1990 he was paralyzed from the neck down after stage lighting equipment fell on him. He hung on, releasing a final album in 1996, but he was too ill to attend the March 1999 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He died in December of that year. He was 57.
"At that moment, I didn't know what to think or how to feel," writes his son in "Traveling Soul." "A part of me felt relief that he was gone and didn't have to suffer any longer. Another part of me felt alone, with no father to be there for me if I really needed something."
There is a party celebrating the release of the book scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday at the Promontory, that wonderful a bar/restaurant/club at 5311 S. Lake Park Ave. in the Hyde Park neighborhood (www.promontorychicago.com). Todd Mayfield will be there to sign books, and Syd Brown and the Mayfield All Stars will perform.
Also being celebrated that night is Mayfield's protege, the late Reginald Torian, Sr. He died in May at 65 and though certainly not of the stature of Mayfield, he was a tremendous talent and a man who embodied Mayfield's musical passions and delivered songs in his distinctive falsetto. In performance and in person, he was also the essence of cool.
After his death, the aforementioned Butler said, "Reggie was the last of the great lead singers of the Impressions. He was a major talent."
As Torian told me in 2015, as he was preparing to mount his "All Things Mayfield," a musical-theatrical production, "Nobody feels Curtis like I feel Curtis."
He is not, oddly and unfortunately, mentioned in "Traveling Soul," so let me tell you that he was born in Chicago Heights. His father, Virgil "V.J." Torian Jr., played basketball for the Harlem Globetrotters and his mother, Rheda, who was a registered nurse and sang in a gospel choir. Reggie — his preferred name — began singing while still in short pants when the family was living in Kentucky. He was fond of doing Elvis Presley impersonations at local schools and then became a member of the Enchanters, four vocalists backed by a horn-driven rhythm and blues band. He met and was asked to join the Impressions when his group performed on the same bill at the bygone High Chaparral, on Stony Island Avenue near 77th Street.
That was in 1972, shortly after Mayfield had left the group.
"I was only 22 and I had never been on an airplane before," Torian told me. "I was initially signed to join for a six-month tour, and that has lasted my lifetime."
It was a good and active lifetime and his connection of Mayfield and his music reached a new level in 2013 when he helped create and star in the Black Ensemble Theater's production of "It's All-Right to Have A Good Time: The Story of Curtis Mayfield." It was written by BET founder and executive director Jackie Taylor, herself another child of Cabrini-Green.
My colleague Chris Jones wrote that the production "most certainly does honor the music of the man some called the black Bob Dylan — although, as this show points out, you could argue just as well that Dylan was the white Curtis Mayfield."
Torian said at the time: "All I ever wanted to do was tell Curtis' story, let people get the richness out of what his music is about and the pain that he went through. I want people to experience his emotions and talent."
He spent most of his life doing just that.
rkogan@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @rickkogan
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