Who started the Impressions?
The Impressions were formed in the late 1950s in Chicago when Sam Gooden, Arthur Brooks, and Richard Brooks, members of a vocal group called the Roosters, moved to the Windy City from Chattanooga, Tennessee, leaving original member Fred Cash behind.
Why did Jerry Butler leave the Impressions?
Butler left the group in 1959 to pursue a solo career, and the Impressions went into limbo while Mayfield concentrated on songwriting and production.
Did Curtis Mayfield sing with the Impressions?
Mayfield started his musical career in a gospel choir. Moving to the North Side of Chicago, he met Jerry Butler in 1956 at the age of 14, and joined the vocal group The Impressions. As a songwriter, Mayfield became noted as one of the first musicians to bring more prevalent themes of social awareness into soul music.
Is Curtis Mayfield dead?
December 26, 1999Curtis Mayfield / Date of death
How did Curtis Mayfield get paralyzed?
Mayfield arrived for a Brooklyn, NY. concert sound check. On a rain swept afternoon, high winds toppled a lighting rig. He was trapped underneath, his spine crushed in three places, paralyzing him from the neck down.
Who was the drummer for the Impressions?
Long before I knew his name, I was hooked on Al Duncan’s playing. In the autumn of 1963 the Impressions’ “It’s All Right” came on the radio, with its beautiful drum fills.
What happened to Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions?
Mayfield was paralyzed from the neck down after lighting equipment fell on him during a live performance at Wingate Field in Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York, on August 13, 1990.
Are any of the Impressions still living?
In 2013, The Impressions released “Rhythm,” their first single in more than 30 years with original members Cash and Gooden still alive, well and vocal.
Where is singer Jerry Butler?
Chicago
Butler was a 1991 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee. He served as a Commissioner for Cook County, Illinois, from 1985 to 2018. As a member of this 17-member county board, he chaired the Health and Hospitals Committee and served as Vice-Chair of the Construction Committee. He currently resides in Chicago.