The Impressions Band Soul, and R&B (1958–present)

The Impressions

The Impressions sono un gruppo musicale statunitense proveniente da Chicago, formatisi nel 1958. Il loro repertorio comprende musica doo-wop, gospel, soul, e R&B.

Biografia del gruppo

Il gruppo nacque con il nome The Roosters dai nativi americani Sam Gooden, ed i fratelli Richard ed Arthur Brooks, che si trasferirono a Chicago ed unirono Jerry Butler e Curtis Mayfield alla formazione del gruppo, ribattezzandosi Jerry Butler & the Impressions.
Dal 1962, Butler ed i fratelli Brooks lasciarono il gruppo, e dopo aver firmato un contratto con la ABC-Paramount Records, Mayfield, Gooden, insieme ad i nuovi componenti Fred Cash, divennero uno dei gruppi più quotati del panorama soul.
Mayfield lasciò il gruppo per tentare una carriera da solista nel 1970; Leroy Hutson, Ralph Johnson, Reggie Torian, e Nate Evans entrarono a fare parte del gruppo, unendosi a Gooden e Cash.
Inseriti nella Rock and Roll Hall of Fame e nella Vocal Group Hall of Fame, The Impressions sono principalmente conosciuti per una serie di canzoni di successo pubblicate negli anni sessanta, molte delle quali di genere soul, e servite come inni ispiratori per i movimenti per i diritti civili.
La canzone People Get Ready è stata classificata alla posizione 24 della Lista delle 500 migliori canzoni stilata dalla rivista Rolling Stone.

Formazione

• Jerry Butler (1958–1960)
• Curtis Mayfield (1958–1970)
• Sam Gooden (1958–presente)
• Arthur Brooks (1958–1962)
• Richard Brooks (1958–1962)
• Fred Cash (1960–presente)
• Leroy Hutson (1970–1973)
• Ralph Johnson (1973–1976 in seguito 1983-2000)
• Nate Evans (1976–1979)
• Reggie Torian (1973–present1)

Discografia

• 1963 - The Impressions
• 1964 - Keep on Pushing
• 1964 - The Never Ending Impressions
• 1965 - One by One
• 1965 - Big 16
• 1965 - People Get Ready
• 1966 - Ridin' High
• 1967 - The Fabulous Impressions
• 1968 - We're a Winner
• 1968 - This Is My Country
• 1969 - The Young Mods' Forgotten Story
• 1969 - The Versatile Impressions
• 1969 - Amen
• 1970 - Check out Your Mind!
• 1972 - Times Have Changed
• 1973 - Preacher Man
• 1974 - Finally Got Myself Together
• 1974 - Three the Hard Way
• 1975 - First Impressions
• 1975 - Sooner or Later
• 1976 - It's About Time
• 1976 - Originals
• 1976 - Loving Power
• 1979 - Come to My Party
• 1981 - Fan the Fire
• 2000 - A Tribute to the Memory of Curtis Mayfield

The Impressions are an American music group originally formed in 1958. Their repertoire includes doo-wop, gospel, soul, and R&B.
The group was founded as The Roosters by Chattanooga, Tennessee natives Sam Gooden, Richard Brooks and Arthur Brooks, who moved to Chicago and added Jerry Butler and Curtis Mayfield to their line-up to become Jerry Butler & the Impressions. By 1962 Butler and the Brookses had departed, and after switching to ABC-Paramount Records, Mayfield, Gooden, and new Impression Fred Cash collectively became a top-selling soul act. Mayfield left the group for a solo career in 1970; Leroy Hutson, Ralph Johnson, Reggie Torian (born Reginald Torian), Sammy Fenderm and Nate Evans were among the replacements who joined Gooden and Cash. Inductees into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, the Impressions are best known for their 1960s string of hits, many of which were heavily influenced by gospel music and served as inspirational anthems for the Civil Rights Movement. They are also 1998 Grammy Hall of Fame inductees for their hit "People Get Ready" and winners of the Rhythm and Blues Foundation's Pioneer Award (in 2000).

History

Early years

Jerry Butler and Curtis Mayfield met while singing in the same Chicago church choir. After singing in a number of local gospel groups, the two of them joined a doo-wop group called "The Roosters" in 1957, whose members included Chattanooga, Tennessee natives Sam Gooden, Richard Brooks, and his brother Arthur Brooks. By 1958, The Roosters had a new manager in Eddie Thomas, a record deal with Vee-Jay Records, and a new name: "Jerry Butler & the Impressions".
The group's first hit single was 1958's "For Your Precious Love", which hit #11 on the US pop charts and #3 on the R&B charts. However, soon after the release of the R&B Top 30 hit "Come Back My Love", Butler left the group to go on to a successful solo career. After briefly touring with the now-solo Butler as his guitarist, Curtis Mayfield became the group's new lead singer and songwriter, and Fred Cash, a returning original Roosters member, was appointed as the new fifth member.

ABC-Paramount Records success

Mayfield wrote a number of Butler's early solo hits, and used the money to get the Impressions to move to Chicago, Illinois. There, they got a new deal with ABC-Paramount Records in 1961, and released their first post-Butler single. That single, "Gypsy Woman", was their biggest single to date, hitting #2 on the R&B charts and #20 on the pop chart. Successive singles failed to match "Gypsy Woman"′s success, and Richard and Arthur Brooks ended up leaving the group in 1962.
The Impressions returned to Chicago as a trio, and soon aligned themselves with producer Johnny Pate, who helped to update their sound and create a more lush soul sound for the group. The result was "It's All Right", a 1963 million-selling gold single that topped the R&B charts and made it to #4 on the pop charts, and became one of the group's signature songs. "It's All Right" and "Gypsy Woman" were the anchors of the Impressions' first LP, 1963's The Impressions.
1964 brought the first of Mayfield's Black pride anthem compositions, "Keep on Pushing", which became a Top 10 smash on both the Billboard Pop and R&B charts, peaking at #10 Pop. It was the title cut from the album of the same name, which also reached the Top 10 on both charts. Future Mayfield compositions would feature an increasingly social and political awareness, including the following year's major hit and the group's best-known song, the gospel-influenced "People Get Ready", which hit #3 on the R&B charts and #14 on the pop charts.

Increasing social consciousness

In the mid-1960s, the Impressions were compared with Motown acts such as the Temptations, the Miracles, and the Four Tops. Their 1966 single "Can't Satisfy" was deemed to share significant similarities with "This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You)" by Motown group the Isley Brothers; Motown sued and Curtis Mayfield had to share writing credits with songwriting-production team Holland-Dozier-Holland and Sylvia Moy for his song. "Can't Satisfy" was nevertheless a Top 20 R&B hit for the Impressions, peaking at #12, and has since become a Northern Soul classic. After 1965's "Woman's Got Soul", and the #7 pop hit "Amen", the Impressions failed to reach the R&B Top Ten for three more years, finally scoring in 1968 with the #9 "I Loved and Lost". "We're a Winner", which hit #1 on the R&B charts that same year, represented a new level of social awareness in Mayfield's music. Mayfield created his own label, Curtom, and moved the Impressions to the label. Over the next two years, more Impressions message tracks followed, including the #1 R&B hit "Choice of Colors" (1969) and the #3 R&B hit "Check Out Your Mind" (1970).
The Impressions were a notable influence on Bob Marley and The Wailers and other ska/rocksteady groups and singers in Jamaica: the Wailers modelled their singing/harmony style on them and in part borrowed their look, too. There are many covers of Impressions songs by the Wailers, including "Keep On Moving", "Long Long Winter" and "Just Another Dance". Bob Marley also sampled the lyrics of the Impressions song "People, Get Ready" for his song "One Love/People Get Ready". The Wailers had recorded it on several occasions before it was released as a single in 1984. Original recordings of the song do not credit Mayfield's song and are simply titled "One Love" (as copyright law was not enforced for Jamaican recordings at the time) but the version for their album 1977 Exodus (and 1984 single) is titled "One Love/People Get Ready" and credits Mayfield, giving co-authorship credits to both Marley and Mayfield. In addition, Pat Kelly covered "Soulful Love" and The Heptones covered "I've Been Trying." No doubt the social consciousness of Curtis Mayfield's lyrics appealed as well as the spectacular harmonies.

After Mayfield's departure

After the release of the Check Out Your Mind LP in 1970, Mayfield left the group and began a successful solo career, the highlight of which was writing and producing the Super Fly soundtrack, followed by collaborating on the soundtracks of Claudine, Sparkle, and A Piece of the Action. He continued to write and produce for the Impressions, who remained on Curtom. Leroy Hutson was the first new lead singer for the group following Mayfield's departure, but success eluded the Impressions, and Hutson left the group in 1973. Jon French was the drummer for the touring band playing around the United States and Europe. He is also heard on the recording of "Freddie's Dead".

Later years, awards, and accolades

New members Ralph Johnson and Reggie Torian replaced Hutson, and the Impressions had three R&B Top 5 singles in 1974–1975: the #1 "Finally Got Myself Together (I'm a Changed Man)" (which also reached the Pop top 20) and the #3 singles "Same Thing it Took" and "Sooner or Later". In 1976, the Impressions left Curtom and Mayfield behind for Cotillion Records and had their final major hit with "Loving Power". The same year, Ralph Johnson was replaced by Nate Evans, who remained in the group for three years, during which time the Impressions switched to 20th Century Records. Singles and albums sales continued to slip, and Evans left in 1979, reducing the group to a trio. The album Fan the Flames was released in 1981.
Reggie Torian left in 1983. Ralph Johnson rejoined that year, as well as new member Vandy Hampton. This lineup recorded with Eric Clapton on his Reptile album.
The Impressions were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 and into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003. The members who became Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees were the original Roosters/Impressions lineup: Sam Gooden, Jerry Butler, Richard Brooks, Curtis Mayfield, Arthur Brooks, and Fred Cash.
Mayfield was paralyzed from the neck down after lighting equipment fell on him during a live performance at Wingate Field in Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York, on August 13, 1990. Despite this, he continued his career as a recording artist, releasing his final album New World Order in 1997. Mayfield won a Grammy Legend Award in 1994 and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995 and was a double inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a member of the Impressions in 1991 and again in 1999 as a solo artist. He was also a two-time Grammy Hall of Fame inductee. He died from complications of type 2 diabetes in 1999 at the age of 57.
Johnson left in 2001 and was replaced by Willie Kitchens. This lineup was featured on the PBS specials R&B 40 and Soul and Inspiration. Hampton was released in 2003 and died in 2005. Reggie Torian later returned, replacing Kitchens. The Impressions recorded a tribute album to Curtis Mayfield in 2000, which was released by Edel America. In 2008 Universal Music & Hip O Records released Movin' On Up - the first-ever video compilation of the Impressions, featuring brand-new interviews with original Impressions members Sam Gooden and Fred Cash, along with taped interviews with the now-late Curtis Mayfield and video performances of the group's greatest hits and several of Mayfield's solo hits. The group's first million-selling hit song "For Your Precious Love", featuring original lead singer Jerry Butler on lead, is ranked #327, and their hit "People Get Ready" is ranked #24, on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Also, the Impressions' album/CD The Anthology 1961–1977 is ranked at #179 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
"People Get Ready" has also been chosen as one of the Top 10 Best Songs Of All Time by a panel of 20 top industry songwriters and producers, including Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson, Hal David, and others, as reported to Britain's Mojo music magazine.

Re-emergence

In July 2013, the Impressions released "Rhythm!" their first single in over thirty years, on Daptone Records. The 7" record featured original members Fred Cash, Sam Gooden, and Reggie Torrian and was produced by Binky Griptite, guitarist for the Dap-Kings. "Rhythm!" was originally penned by Curtis Mayfield in the mid-sixties (and recorded by Major Lance). The B-side, "Star Bright," was written by Binky Griptite.
In August 2013, former Impressions member Leroy Hutson filed a complaint against Young Jeezy and others alleging that Young Jeezy's song "Time" inappropriately incorporated the instrumental portion of the Impressions "Getting it On", which was registered with the United States Copyright Office in 1973.
Arthur Brooks died on November 22, 2015, at age 82.
Reggie Torian died of a heart attack on May 4, 2016, at age 65.
Ralph Johnson died in Piedmont, South Carolina, on 4 December 2016 at age 67.

Personnel

• Jerry Butler (1958–1960)
• Curtis Mayfield (1958–1970)
• Sam Gooden (1958–present)
• Arthur Brooks (1958–1962)
• Richard Brooks (1958–1962)
• Fred Cash (1960–present)
• Leroy Hutson (1970–1973)
• Ralph Johnson (1973–1976;1983–2000)
• Vandy Hampton (1983–2003)
• Nate Evans (1976–1979)
• Reggie Torian (1973–1983;200?–2016)
• Gary Underwood (1992–2001)
• Fred Dave
• Willie Kitchens (1999–2002)

 

 

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"People Get Ready" The Impressions - YouTube

YouTube‎ · ‎catman916

The Impressions - People Get Ready (HQ audio) on Vimeo

▶ 2:39

https://vimeo.com › gianni737 › Videos

27 dic 2010 - Caricato da gianni737

The Impressions - People Get Ready, from the 1965 album of the same name. Written by Curtis Mayfield ...

People get ready

There's a train a-coming
You don't need no baggage
You just get on board
All you need is faith
To hear the diesels humming
Don't need no ticket
You just thank the Lord

 

 

Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions - It's All Right.wmv - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cN_AI59HNEQ

Say it's all right (it's all right)

Say it's all right (it's all right)
It's all right, have a good time
'Cause it's all right, whoa, it's all right

We're gonna move it slow
When lights are low
When you move it slow, it sounds like more
And it's all right, whoa, it's all right

Now listen to the beat
Kinda pat your feet
You got soul and everybody knows

That it's all right, whoa, it's all right 

The Impressions "It's All Right" - YouTube

▶ 2:48

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1LLwC7N1h8

21 set 2014 - Caricato da catman916

"It's All Right" written by lead singer, Curtis Mayfield and recorded by The Impressions, was released as a ...

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The Impressions - Keep On Pushing - YouTube

YouTube‎ · ‎John1948SixB

Keep on pushing

I've got to keep on pushing (mmm-hmm)
I can't stop now
Move up a little higher
Some way, somehow

'Cause I've got my strength
And it don't make sense
Not to keep on pushin'

[Chorus:]
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Keep on pushin'

Now maybe some day
I'll reach that higher goal
I know that I can make it
With just a little bit of soul
'Cause I've got my strength
And it don't make sense
Not to keep on pushin'

Now look-a look (look-a look)
A-look-a yonder
What's that I see
A great big stone wall
Stands there ahead of me
But I've got my pride
And I'll move on aside
And keep on pushin'

[Chorus]

[Repeat to fade]:
Keep on pushin'

 

 

 

THE IMPRESSIONS-i'm so proud - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a26b580Z3k

Testo

Prettier than all the world
And I'm so proud (I'm so proud)
I'm so proud of you

You're only one fellow's girl
And I'm so proud (I'm so proud)
Believe me, I love you too

I'm so proud of being loved by you
And it would hurt, hurt to know
If you ever were untrue
Sweeter than the taste of a cherry so sweet
And I'm so proud (I'm so proud)
I'm so proud of you

Compliments to you from all the people we meet
Yes, and I'm so proud (I'm so proud)
Believe me, I love you too

I'm so proud of being loved by you
I'm so proud of being loved by you

And it would hurt, hurt to know
If you ever were untrue
Sweeter than the taste of a cherry so sweet
And I'm so proud (I'm so proud)
I'm so proud of you
Compliments to you from all the people we meet
Yes, and I'm so proud (I'm so proud)

Believe me, I love you too
Sweeter than the taste of a cherry so sweet
And I'm so proud (I'm so proud)
I'm so proud of you
Compliments to you from all the people we meet
Yes, and I'm so proud (I'm so proud)
Believe me, I love you too

Compositori: Curtis L Mayfield

Testo di I'm So Proud © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc

The Impressions - This is My Country - YouTube

 

▶ 2:54

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_esbRoOeR0

28 gen 2012 - Caricato da Orestas

This Is My Country is an album by the soul group The Impressions. The album was their first album released ...

Some people think we don't have the right
To say it's my country
Before they give in, they'd rather fuss and fight
Than say it's my country
I've paid three hundred years or more
Of slave driving, sweat, and welts on my back
This is my country
(do-do-do)
Too many have died in protecting my pride
For me to go second class
We've survived a hard blow and I want you to know
That you must face us at last
And I know you will give consideration
Shall we perish unjust or live equal as a nation
This is my country
(do-do-do)
And I know you will give consideration
Shall we perish unjust or live equal as a nation
This is my country
(do-do-do)