The story behind Curtis Mayfield’s iconic movie soundtracks

The Oscars may be over, but we’re still talking about the movies and the music behind them. In this edition of UATL’s “Flowers” series, we’re giving Curtis Mayfield his due. When people talk about the sound of the ’70s, names like Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Al Green and Isaac Hayes usually come up, but Mayfield belongs right there with them. From dropping multiple solo albums to creating four film soundtracks from 1972-76, his run was on another level, and much of it happened while he was living in Atlanta. AJC producer Keith Lovely Jr. links up with UATL reporter and musicologist Journalistorian Christopher Daniel at Vinyl Paradise to break down what made Mayfield’s music so powerful and why it still hits today. Credits: Third World Cinema Productions Inc. | Broadway Video Inc. | Warner Bros. | First Artists | Sig Shore Productions | Getty Images | Billboard | Curtom Records | Buddah Records | Atlantic Records | Warner Bros. Records