 The quintessential Chicago soul group,
the Impressions' place in R&B history would be secure if they'd done nothing
but launch the careers of soul legends
Jerry Butler and
Curtis Mayfield. But far more than that,
the Impressions recorded some of the most distinctive vocal-group R&B of the
'60s under
Mayfield's guidance. Their style was marked by airy, feather-light harmonies
and
Mayfield's influentially sparse guitar work, plus, at times, understated
Latin rhythms. If their sound was sweet and lilting, it remained richly soulful
thanks to the group's firm grounding in gospel tradition; they popularized the
three-part vocal trade-offs common in gospel but rare in R&B at the time, and
recorded their fair share of songs with spiritual themes, both subtle and overt.
Furthermore,
Mayfield's interest in the civil rights movement led to some of the first
socially conscious R&B songs ever recorded, and his messages grew more explicit
as the '60s wore on, culminating in the streak of brilliance that was his
early-'70s solo work.
The Impressions carried on without
Mayfield, but only matched their earlier achievements in isolated instances,
and finally disbanded in the early '80s.
The Impressions were formed in Chicago in 1957 as a doo wop group called
the Roosters, a group of Chattanooga, TN, transplants that included
vocalists
Sam Gooden and brothers
Richard and
Arthur Brooks. Lead singer
Jerry Butler joined up and soon brought in his friend
Curtis Mayfield as guitarist; the two had previously sung together in a
church choir and a couple of local gospel groups as youths. Renamed
the Impressions by their manager, the group scored a major hit in 1958 with
the classic ballad "For Your Precious Love," which hit the pop Top 20 and the
R&B Top Five.
Butler's gospel-inflected lead vocal was a departure from the norm, and the
fact that the single billed him in front of the rest of the group foreshadowed
his quick exit for a solo career, after just one more single ("Come Back My
Love"). With new vocalist
Fred Cash in tow,
Mayfield took over the lead tenor role, eventually becoming the group's
chief composer as well. First, though, he hit the road as guitarist and musical
director for
Butler's backing band, and also co-wrote some of
Butler's earliest singles, including the R&B number one "He Will Break Your
Heart" in late 1960.
Mayfield's success as a songwriter encouraged him to form his own publishing
company. With the money he earned by working with
Butler, he reconvened
the Impressions and brought them to New York to record for ABC-Paramount in
1961. Their first single, the Latin-inflected "Gypsy Woman," was a number two
R&B smash, also reaching the pop Top 20. Several follow-ups failed to duplicate
its chart success, and the Brooks brothers left the group in 1962; now down to a
trio,
the Impressions returned to Chicago and began recording with arranger
Johnny Pate, whose horn and string embellishments added a bit more heft to
their sound. They struck gold in 1963 with "It's All Right," whose gospel-style
lead-swapping helped make it not only their first R&B number one, but their
biggest pop hit as well, with a peak of number four. The same year, they issued
their eponymous first LP, which many critics still consider one of their finest.
1964 brought the hit single "Keep on Pushing," the first of
Mayfield's numerous black pride anthems (though at this stage, his
sentiments were much less explicit than they would later become). The album of
the same name also featured a marching-beat cover of the gospel standard "Amen,"
inspired by the song's inclusion in the Sidney Poitier film Lilies of the Field.
Gospel also informed what became perhaps the best-known
Impressions hit, 1965's "People Get Ready"; if its lyrics weren't overtly
political,
Mayfield's intent was clear, as the song became an anthem of transcendence
for the civil rights movement and an oft-covered soul standard.
The mid-'60s saw
Mayfield trying to keep pace with the Motown hit factory by incorporating
elements of its style into his own writing. The group recorded prolifically in
1965, but their commercial fortunes dropped off over the next couple of years.
When
the Impressions returned to the upper reaches of the R&B charts, it was with
1968's "We're a Winner," the most straightforward celebration of black pride
Mayfield had yet composed. That summer, the group left ABC to record for
Mayfield's newly formed Curtom imprint, which allowed them greater freedom
in terms of the lyrical content
Mayfield wanted to pursue. More aggressive message tracks like "This Is My
Country," "Choice of Colors," and "Check Out Your Mind" followed over the next
couple of years, as did some of the group's most consistent albums, particularly
The Young Mods' Forgotten Story (1969). 1970's Check Out Your Mind was
Mayfield's final album with
the Impressions, but the group remained on Curtom after his departure, and
he continued to write and produce some of their material.
Mayfield was replaced on lead vocals by
Leroy Hutson, who debuted on LP with 1972's Times Have Changed. At this
point,
the Impressions were still overshadowed by their ex-leader, who was riding
high with brilliant works like Superfly. But
Mayfield's solo momentum cooled down a bit, and after
Hutson departed in 1973, new singers Ralph Johnson and Reggie Torian joined
Cash and
Gooden for the R&B chart-topper "Finally Got Myself Together (I'm a Changed
Man)," cut with ex-Motown producer
Ed Townsend in 1974.
Townsend continued to work with the group for the next couple of years with
some success, but in 1976 Johnson left to join the unsuccessful
Mystique. Around that point,
the Impressions parted ways with Curtom;
Nate Evans replaced Johnson, and the group recorded for Cotillion and 20th
Century/Chi-Sound with little chart success.
Evans eventually departed, leaving the group a trio again. They recorded
their final album, Fan the Fire, in 1981;
Gooden and
Cash occasionally reunited with
Mayfield and sometimes
Butler for touring commitments.
Mayfield was paralyzed in a heartbreaking stage accident in 1990, when a
lighting scaffold toppled over on him; he passed away in 1999. ~ Steve Huey, All
Music Guide
Contact Grabow for more information or to book the
Impressions for your next corporate or private event.
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