The Impressions

by Steve HueyThe quintessential Chicago soul group, the Impressions place in R&B history would be secure if theyd 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 Mayfields guidance. Their style was marked by airy, feather-light harmonies and Mayfields influentially sparse guitar work, plus, at times, understated Latin rhythms. If their sound was sweet and lilting, it remained richly soulful thanks to the groups 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, Mayfields 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. Butlers 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 groups chief composer as well. First, though, he hit the road as guitarist and musical director for Butlers backing band, and also co-wrote some of Butlers earliest singles, including the R&B number one He Will Break Your Heart in late 1960.Mayfields 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 Its 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 Mayfields 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 songs inclusion in the Sidney Poitier film Lilies of the Field. Gospel also informed what became perhaps the best-known Impressions hit, 1965s People Get Ready; if its lyrics werent overtly political, Mayfields 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 1968s Were a Winner, the most straightforward celebration of black pride Mayfield had yet composed. That summer, the group left ABC to record for Mayfields 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 groups most consistent albums, particularly The Young Mods Forgotten Story (1969). 1970s Check Out Your Mind was Mayfields 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 1972s 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 Mayfields 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 (Im 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.