The death of Curtis Mayfield in 1999 robbed the world of popular music of one of its finest performers, writers and producers. When he made his solo debut in 1970, he'd already achieved more than many artists do in a lifetime career. He'd enjoyed a string of hits as lead singer of The Impressions, for whom he was also the principal songwriter, he produced successful recordings for other artists, was the owner of his own record label, Curtom, and several publishing companies.

The solo albums he recorded for Curtom between 1970 up until the time of his tragic accident in 1990 stand as testament to his genius. Curtis’ songs on these albums deal in the main with two themes: love and political consciousness. His influence on American black music and culture has been immense and his thought-provoking lyrics and musical style remain unique in their field.

The soundtrack to the ‘blaxploitation’ movie Superfly stayed in the U.S. album charts for almost a year, topping it for four weeks in 1972 and earning Curtis a gold disc. Two singles taken from the album, the title song and the million-selling ‘Freddie’s Dead’, both went Top 10. These two songs, along with the stark and sinister ‘Pusherman’, worked brilliantly in the context of the film, delivering a potent anti-drugs message.