I'm finishing up a brand new book on one of my heroes
the late GREAT Curtis Mayfield by noted archivist/music
fan british writer Peter Burns called CURTIS MAYFIELD,
PEOPLE NVER GIVE UP by santuary books.

i order this the same time i ordered ALEX HAHn's Possessed
book on Prince.

both books are fascinating reads but come from two different
sides of the spectrum. The Hahn book on prince is far more
"racy" and controversial (at least to many fans on this
on line community line!) wheras Burns does what i like best-
he centers on curtis's ART...the songs and the WORLD and times curtis created his masterpieces.

as a fan who holds mr. mayfield way up the list in my music
influences and heroes (he's as important to music as the beatles...particularly in the SOul genre) this book is long
over due. Burns knows his subject Well...i've followed his
reviews and essays on SOUL for years so i knew HE'd get to
the real DEAL of what curtis DID.

being a collecter of CURTIS's music i am stunned that there
is so much i still don't have. the man like PRINCE recorded
and recorded lots of material..a lot for other artist that
i gonna have to search speciality shops to find.

the man was prolific. and for the most part hardly ever
made BAD music. the only time he hit a slide was around the
disco period where what he tried to do didn't fit in what
everyone else was doing...

most new fans tend to dig his 70's material (from the first
solo album ..superfly etc etc..) which was groundbreaking
stuff to be true. however as a guy who grew up when he
blowing away the competition in the 60's -i KNOW the brotha
was brilliant then too.


gospel,soul..calyspo...funk...doo-wop,secular...spiritual...
curtis did it all with such beauty and style...i find myself missing him when i play his music.

reading his last years was and is a painful experience
for me...he couldn't be broken even though his body was
wasting away.

the man is gone to another place.
but lives on wonderfully in PETE burns book.

if you like an informative book that talks MUSIC,and
serious social issues THIS is for you.

i finish this thread with 5 early curtis "classics"
(if you've never heard of these..check them out)

1.aware of love (for his friend JERRY BUtler) curtis's on
guitar and high harmony...latin tinged...nice lyrics..
2.i'm the one who loves you...similiar to gyspy woman
3.isle of sirens...beautfiul mythology piece.
(curtis WROTE the first one in 61 for JErry Butler andf
did it himself 6 years later.)
understated guitar...intoxicating story
4.romancing the folk song...curtis in the folk genre.
pretty imagery...beautiful guitar

5.i can't stay away...i can't tell you how BAD this slow
jam is. its about being addictive to a woman...even when
you know she's NOT the one...

"i know you're no good and i'd leave you if i could..."

Yeah I have been spreading the word on this book for time, a real shame it took so long for Curtis to get a bio.

I haven't finished reading it yet though as I'm on Possessed at the moment...

Speaking of bios, there is no bio of Donny Hathaway is there? I've looked for one, well, as recently as about a year ago...and I couldn't find any that existed. It seems strange someone like Donny never had a bio written about him.

Supernova said:

I agree.I would love 2 find out more about him.
I´ve never seen any livefootages of him either.
That would B really great 2 see.
/peace Manki

Essence said:

Curtis Book was long overdue&Can't wait to finish it up.

Supernova said:

I agree He is long overdue as well.Peace