One of the first R&B artists to make you think while you dance. He was infuential on the transformation of R&B artists like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Sly Stone toward a social and political consciouosness.  Robbie Robertson of The Band once said to Bob Dylan that his long dense poetic songs lacked the punch of Curtis Mayfield's direct soulful music.

Not everything he did hit the mark, but the 1st two albums are classics. Great voice, intelligent lyrics, nifty guitar work and great arrangements. Bit of a soul legend really.

Some truly great work with The Impressions and as a solo artist, highly influential on subsequent soul and R&B artists. My favorite song is the rolling, sinister, somewhat bizarre, socially conscious epic "Don't Worry, If There's Hell Below, We're All Gonna Go," a very astute commentary on issues of the day (1970): Nixon, Vietnam, prejudice, the economy, etc. The "Superfly" soundtrack was also splendid.

Ultra-talented!