The new Wax Poetics (#38) features my story on funk master Curtis Mayfield and the making of the Superfly soundtrack.

EXCERPT: Besides the constant coke sniffing in the film (before crack swept through the hoods of America a decade later, coke wasn’t a poor man’s drug; the real problem was heroin), the biggest surprise in Superfly came midway through when Curtis Mayfield made a appearance performing “Pusherman” with his sizzling band.

Wearing eyeglasses and strumming guitar, the then 30-year-old composer looked more like a scraggly poetry professor than a hip soul man. If judging by visual style alone, Mayfield was anti-fly.Technically, ‘Pusherman was the first song we recorded for the Superfly soundtrack,” said McMullen.

“Unlike the rest of the music, which we recorded back in Chicago at the RCA Studios, ‘Pusherman’ was done in New York City during the same time we came to film our cameo. Recorded at Bell Sound Studios, which was owned by Buddah Records co-proprietors Viewlex, the then-popular midtown Manhattan studio was where Cannonball Adderley, Kiss and Roberta Flak had also worked. “Pusherman” was the only track featuring drummer Tyrone McCullen on drums; Morris Jennings played the rest of the album. “It was also the only track we recorded without arranger Johnny Pate and a full orchestra,” informed McMullen.

Pre-music videos, it was exciting to see an artist on the silver screen. Yet, being a kid, I had no concept that Curtis Mayfield was already a respected star. If truth be told, in 1972 I’d never heard of his former group the Impressions nor had any idea of Mayfield’s legacy as a songwriter, producer, label co-owner and shred businessman.



For more info, check out:

http://www.waxpoetics.com...s-issue-38

http://blackadelicpop.blogspot.com