The Impressions

by Bill Pollak

Originally published in MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide, Gary Graff, Josh Freedom du Lac, and Jim McFarlin (eds.); Visible Ink Press (Detroit, MI):

Formed 1957 in Chicago, IL. Members: Jerry Butler, vocals (1957-1959); Curtis Mayfield, vocals, guitar, musical director (1957-1970); Arthur Brooks, vocals (1957-1962); Richard Brooks, vocals (1957-1962); Fred Cash, vocals (1958-present); Sam Gooden, vocals; Leroy Hutson, vocals (1970-1973); Ralph Johnson, vocals (1973-1976); Reggie Torian, vocals (1973-present); Nate Evans, vocals (1976-present) 

Led by lead vocalist Curtis Mayfield, the Impressions were Chicago R&B's most successful vocal group of the 1960s. Like William "Smokey" Robinson in nearby Detroit, Mayfield was the prime creative force in Chicago R&B during the 1960s and 1970s. The Impressions (Mayfield, Fred Cash, and Sam Gooden) showcased Mayfield's wide array of talents -- his warm, expressive singing, sophisticated songwriting and fluid, melodic guitar playing -- and provided the vehicle by which Mayfield profoundly influenced the R&B of the 1960s and 1970s.

The Impressions' first hit record, "For Your Precious Love," set the tone for their later work. Sung by their first lead vocalist, Jerry Butler, in a deep, reverential baritone backed with the group's ethereal harmonies, the record's references to the sound and feel of gospel music set it apart from other vocal-group records of the late 1950s; it sold more than 150,000 copies during the two weeks following its 1958 release and launched Butler's solo career (with Mayfield's blessings and assistance). Although much softer and more pop-oriented than the recordings of the gospel quartets, the Impressions' subsequent recordings for ABC-Paramount were infused with the attitude and approach of gospel music. Beginning with "It's All Right" in 1963, the pared-down Impressions -- Mayfield, Cash, and Gooden -- departed from the lead-vocalist-baked-by-group style of group singing that was typical of 1950s doo-wop. Instead, the Impressions adopted a style more typical of gospel quartets such as the Soul Stirrers and the Dixie Hummingbirds, with Mayfield, Cash, and Gooden all singing lead alternately throughout the song. The Impressions' love songs -- "I'm So Proud," "I've Been Trying," "I Loved and I Lost" -- had a distinctly spiritual quality, reflected in the dramatic gravity of the vocal delivery and the musical settings crafted by arranger Johnny Pate.

Most importantly, though, many of Mayfield's 1960s compositions for the Impressions, including "Keep On Pushing" in 1964 and "We're a Winner" in 1968, explicitly promoted African-American identity and pride, anticipating themes that would dominate the R&B of the 1970s. This application of the black Christian church's didacticism to a secular context was Mayfield's greatest achievement. After he left the Impressions in 1970 to establish a solo career, Mayfield's recordings for his own Curtom label were even more consistently message oriented than his work with the Impressions had been.

The Impressions soldiered on after Mayfield left. For Mayfield's Curtom label, where the Impressions had moved in 1968, the group made two unsuccessful LPs with Leroy Hutson as lead vocalist. Later, though, the group reformed around new lead singers Ralph Johnson and Reggie Torian, and released a number of excellent hit records produced by Ed Townsend, including "Finally Got Myself Together," "Sooner or Later," "Loving Power" and "Same Thing It Took." In 1976, Curtom attempted to form a new group, Mystique, around Johnson, an outstanding gospel-style vocalist. But Mystique's only LP failed to make any commercial noise. Meanwhile, the remaining Impressions, with Nate Evans replacing Johnson, recorded for Cotillion and for Carl Davis's Chi-Sound label without much success.

In 1990, Mayfield was the victim of a freak accident when a stage-lighting scaffold fell on him, leaving him paralyzed and permanently bound to a wheelchair. Two separate tribute collections, in which well-known recording artists interpret Mayfield's songs, appeared in 1993 and 1994, reflecting the high esteem in which Mayfield is held by his peers.

Buy first: [The Anthology, 1961-1977: Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions] (MCA, 1992, prod. Various) (5 bones) is the definitive two-CD set of Mayfield's work, with the emphasis on his work with the Impressions. Only his essential recordings as a solo artist are included.

Buy next:

• [Keep On Pushing/People Get Ready] (ABC-Paramount 1964, ABC-Paramount 1965/Kent, 1996, prod. Johnny Pate) (5 bones) collects two of the early-1960s Impressions' finest LPs on a single CD, filling in some of the holes from [The Anthology].
• The same can be said of [The Impressions/Never Ending Impressions] (ABC-Paramount 1963, ABC-Paramount 1964/Kent, 1996, prod. Johnny Pate) (4 bones), although [Never Ending Impressions], the group's second ABC LP, was somewhat thin on material.
• [This Is My Country/Young Mods Forgotten Story] (Curtom 1968, Curtom 1969/Sequel, 1996, prod. Curtis Mayfield) (4 bones) collects two of the three Curtom LPs that Mayfield recorded with the group before his departure and contains some great moments.
• [The Very Best of the Impressions] (Rhino, 1997, prod. Various) (4 bones) is a single-CD collection of the biggest of the Impressions' hits.

Avoid:

• [Check Out Your Mind/Times Have Changed] (Curtom 1970, Curtom 1972/Sequel, 1996, prod. Curtis Mayfield) (2 bones). [Check Out Your Mind], the last Impressions album with Mayfield, contained some strong material. [Times Have Changed], however, was the first post-Mayfield album, with Leroy Hutson replacing Mayfield, and it failed both commercially and artistically.
• [Preacher Man] (Curtom, 1973, prod. Rich Tufo) (WOOF) was Hutson's last LP with the Impressions.

The rest:

• [For Your Precious Love] (Vee Jay, 1964, prod. Curtis Mayfield) (3 bones)
• [One by One] (ABC-Paramount, 1965, prod. Johnny Pate) (4 bones)
• [Impressions Greatest Hits] (ABC-Paramount, 1965, prod. Johnny Pate) (4 bones)
• [Ridin' High] (ABC-Paramount, 1966, prod. Johnny Pate) (3 1/2 bones)
• [Fabulous Impressions] (ABC-Paramount, 1967, prod. Johnny Pate) (3 1/2 bones)
• [We're a Winner] (ABC-Paramount, 1968, prod. Johnny Pate) (3 1/2 bones)
• [Best of the Impressions] (ABC-Paramount, 1968, prod. Johnny Pate) (4 bones)
• [Versatile] (ABC-Paramount, 1969, prod. Johnny Pate) (3 bones)
• [Best Impressions] (Curtom, 1969, prod. Various) (3 bones)
• [16 Greatest Hits] (ABC-Paramount, 1970, prod. Johnny Pate) (4 bones)
• [Early Years] (Probe, 1973, prod. unknown) (3 bones)
• [Three the Hard Way] (Curtom, 1974, prod. Lowrell Simon & Rich Tufo) (2 bones)
• [It's About Time] (Cotillion, 1976, prod. unknown) (2 bones)
• [Originals] (ABC, 1976, prod. Various) (4 bones)
• [Collection] (ABC-Paramount, 1976, prod. Johnny Pate) (4 bones)
• [Come to My Party] (20th Century, 1979, prod. Carl Davis) (2 bones)
• [Fan the Fire] (20th Century/Chi-Sound, 1981, prod. Carl Davis, Eugene Record) (2 bones)
• [Greatest Hits] (MCA, 1982, prod. Various) (4 bones)
• [Right on Time] (Charly, 1983, prod. Johnny Pate) (4 bones)
• [Complete Vee Jay Recordings] (Vee Jay, 1993, prod. Curtis Mayfield) (3 bones)
• [It's All Alright] (MCA, 1995, prod. Johnny Pate) (4 bones)
• [All the Best] (Pickwick, 1995, prod. Various) (4 bones)
• [Further Impressions: More Soulful Classics] (HIPP, 1996, prod. Johnny Pate) (4 bones)

Worth searching for:

• The LPs [Finally Got Myself Together] (Curtom, 1974, prod. Various) (4 bones), [First Impressions] (Curtom, 1975, prod. Various) (4 1/2 bones) and Loving Power (Curtom, 1975, prod. Various) (3 bones) showcase the vocals of the highly underrated Ralph Johnson. Some of this material is available on [Lasting Impressions] (1989. Ichiban/Curtom, prod. Ed Townsend) (4 1/2 bones)
• Also worth hearing is [Mystique], by the Johnson-led group of the same name (Curtom, 1976, prod. Various) (3 bones).

Influenced by: Jerry Butler, the Swan Silvertones, the Dixie Hummingbirds, the Soul Stirrers

Influenced: The Esquires, the Van Dykes, Enchantment, Earth Wind & Fire, New Edition, Boyz II Men, the Stylistics, the Delfonics, the O'Jays, the Manhattans, the Masqueraders, the Originals, the Mad Lads, the Temprees

Read more soul articles by Bill Pollak

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Last update: 12/15/2004