The Impressions | Artist

The Impressions were an American Soul and R&B music group formed 1958 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, by Sam Gooden, Richard Brooks and Arthur Brooks. The trio moved to Chicago and after some years, added Jerry Butler and Curtis Mayfield, who replaced the Brooks brothers. Mayfield became the primary songwriter and injected a strong measure of black American social consciousness into the group's work. 1964 saw the first of Mayfield's black pride anthem compositions "Keep on Pushing", which became a Top 10 smash on the Billboard Pop and R&B charts. The following year they released their best-known song, the gospel-influenced "People Get Ready", which hit #3 on the R&B charts and #14 on the pop charts. After the release of 1970's Check Out Your Mind album, Mayfield left the group and began a successful solo career. The Impressions released 25 albums and numerous hit singles. Standouts include People Get Ready, This is My Country, The Young Mods' Forgotten Story, and Check Out Your Mind. It's interesting to note that The Impressions were one of the greatest influences on Bob Marley and The Wailers and other ska and rocksteady groups and singers in Jamaica at that time. The Wailers modelled their singing/harmony style on them and covered many of their songs.

Artist Website: wikipedia/The_Impressions

Featured Albums: The Impressions

Related Artists: Curtis Mayfield, Jerry Butler, Leroy Hutson