DRAFT OUTLINE

CURTIS MAYFIELD TRIBUTE

TIMELESS MESSAGES
January 30, 1991

ACT I
House Lights Up
Pre Curtain Music [Taped]
House to Black
Intro T.P. Hearns, Comedian
House to Black

v.o.

Intro of Host(ess)

^Tstrumental

Curtain Raiser
X Fade Lights
Introductions/Welcome - Host
A Selection #1

V-

I'm So Proud

A Selection #3

It's A l l Right-

A Selection #?.
X Fade Lights
Segueway - Host

People Get Ready

B Selection #6

Amen

B Selection #5

Keep On Pushing

B Selection #4

Monologue
B Selection #7

We're A Winner

X Fade Lights
Segueway - Host

Move On Up

C Selection #11

The Making's of You

C Selection #10

We People Who Are Darker

Than Blue

C Selection #9

If There's A Hell Below..

C Selection #8

House to Black
Announcement of Intermission

v. o.

House Lights Up
Play Taped Music

ACT II

House to Black
Curtain Raiser
Musical Instrumental
House Lights Up
Introduction - Host(ess)
X Fade Lights
D Selection #12

** Ghetto Child

Eddie You Should Know Better

D Selection #14

Super Fly

D Selection #13

I'm So Glad

D Selection #16

Freddie's Dead -

D Selection #15

**

X Fade Lights
Segueway - Host

Future Shock

E Selection #20

Stare & Stare

E Selection #19

Hard Times

E Selection #18

Back to the World

E Selection #17

X Fade Lights
Segueway - Host
Presentation: City Official
to Event Organizers

Move On Up

Closing Selection
Instrumental and Music

v.o.

Curtain Call - Host

Super Fly II

F Selection #22

Do Be Down

F Selection #21

Good Night

** Junkie's Run could be placed in either

of these places. Preferably after
Eddie
, if it can be staged correctly
as a lead-in to Freddie's Dead. This
will tell a complete story from Ghetto
Child to I'm So Glad.

ACT I

House Lights Full

Pre-Curtain Music [Taped]
House Fade to Black
House Up to Full
T.P. Hearns enters.
[T.P. completes routine, and exits.]
Ren Woods enters and Introduces
Introduces hostess:

herself.

Then

Ren

Born In Atlantic City, New Jersey, your hostess

for tMs evening made her way to Hollywood to appear
in such i^Hfljs as The Omega Man, Melinda, The New
Centurians, Uptown Saturday Night, Amazing Grace,
Cornbread Earl and Me, and others. She has appeared
in numerous stage and television productions as
well, and has recently been\een as the college
dean on the top-rated TV program, Ax Different World.
Ladies and gentlemen, your hostess for this evening,
Ms. Rosalind Cash.
Hostess enters.
Hostess thanks Ren for introduction and acknowledges Ren's
accomplishments. Congratulates T.P. for his fine routine.
Begins welcome, etc.

TIMELESS MESSAGES:

A TRIBUTE TO CURTIS MAYFIELD

ACT I

PRE-CURTAIN MUSIC (TAPED)

HOUSE FADE TO BLACK/LIGHTS UP FULL
(ENTER BOBBY ZENO TO INTRODUCE T.P. HEARNS.
T.P. HEARNS PERFORMS. INTRODUCES REN WOODS, EXITS.
ENTER REN WOODS UPSTAGE RIGHT

DOOR.)

REN

LET'S GIVE ANOTHER ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR COMEDIAN T.P. HEARNS.

HI,

I'M REN WOODS. WELCOME TO TIMELESS MESSAGES: A TRIBUTE TO CURTIS

MAYFIELD.

OUR HOSTESS TONIGHT IS AN ACTRESS WHOSE WORK I ADMIRE

GREATLY.
AS A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE NEGRO ENSEMBLE THEATER GROUP, ROSALIND
CASH HAS CREATED MEMORABLE CHARACTERS ON THE STAGE IN BOTH
CONTEMPORARY AND CLASSICAL PLAYS.

SHE TRANSFERRED THIS SUCCESS TO

FILMS, SUCH AS THE OMEGA MAN, MELINDA, THE NEW CENTURIANS, UPTOWN
SATURDAY NIGHT, AMAZING GRACE, AND CORNBREAD, EARL AND ME.
GUEST STARRED ON NUMEROUS TELEVISION SHOWS.

SHE HAS

HER RECENT ROLE WAS THE

COLLEGE DEAN IN THE TOP-RATED TV PROGRAM "A DIFFERENT WORLD".

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, PLEASE WELCOME YOUR HOSTESS FOR THIS EVENING,
MS ROSALIND CASH.
(ROSALIND enter, thanks REN for her introduction and
congratulates T.P. for his routine.)
ROSALIND
GOOD EVENING LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.

WELCOME TO "TIMELESS MESSAGES: A

TRIBUTE TO CURTIS MAYFIELD"... SINGER, SONGWRITER, MUSICIAN, RECORD

inoav aamvi ASHI, 'vwvavav QNY iddississiw WOHJ AI.ID am oi

SINYHOIW HDYre I.YHI, aadsoD NH3Hi,nos QNY same Yjyisa so SHOLXIW Y
ODVDIHO dO QNnOS 3HI, SYM II

'DNIHSQd NO d33X dNY H3NNIM V 3Hi3M SY

HDDS 'YH3 SJLH9IH TIAID 3HI, JO SDNOS SnOIDSNOO ArnYIDOS 3SOHJL 139H03
NYD OHM QNY 'N3WY, 3MIT SNWAH TEYNOIiYHIdSNI JO HNIHl I

"IQOS IDS

SiNYWOM 3HI QNY anOHd OS N i l 3HIT SDNOS 3AOT DNIDNIS SNOISS3HdWI 3H1
JO S3INOWHYH i33MS 3HJ, JO MNIHi I 'aaSIJAYW SliHOO JO HNIHI, I N3HM
QNIIVSOH
moaj
SNOItLYWYTOOHd QHYMV AVQ 0131 JXVW SIIHQO JO

S3T:3DNY SOT
JO A.LID 3HI, NI iiAVd QiaiJAYW SIIHnOii 3J.YH93TL3D SO dT3H Oi nAVQ M3N
Y HOJ SlSIlHYii 3XYJHD OI, H3HI.3DOI, Q3NIOr 3AYH SiSIiHY 3S3HI, JO 3WOS
'NOIiliadWOD HY3 JLSHIJ S i AJ.ID H3NNI H3I.N3 OHM SH3I.IHM

saaiiHMDNOs oi, NoiiYHidSNi NY si ai;aiJAYW

NIYOY >TIYM
3H JLYHi THJadOH
AH3A 3HY SHOIDOQ SIH QNY IWYIW NI 3DNYXY3ddY Onand Y 3QYW ATEI.N3D3H

an JLVHI, noA rraai oi, AddYH W i i

'MHOA MSH NI SOYJLS NO 3NiwnojH3d

3TIHM JLSnDQY ISYT! QSHnrNI SYM SliHOO I.YHI, MONH AOA JO iSOW

HYJN AHSA SHI, NI 33Yi,s NO sn DNINIYI-HSOLNS 39 Tii3H 3dOH

QNY DNIiaaHD TiTBM 1, 3D INYIO Y SIIHOD QN3S OSTY 3M

'I.SI.IHY QSiNSTYI,

IJJ^nH SIHI, oi, ainaiHi, TLYiosds AYd Noniiadwoo DNII.IHMDNOS HYa JLSHIJ
3HI QNY H3I,NaO TYHOJnnD AI.ID H3NNI 'AYd MSN Y HOJ SJLSIJLHY '.LHDINOI,
*SdId
3H1 QNY JLHDINM SAdYTD QNY SdSISHIY-LS 3AIJ 3HI, QNY 31900 'H3TQNYHD
3N39

/ 3^NY^

HOrYW 'SHSONIS 3TdYI,S 3HI, 'NnXNYHJ YHI.3HY HOJ

BLACK PRIDE AND RACIAL HARMONY.

THESE SONGS, WHICH WERE WRITTEN BY

CURTIS MAYFIELD MIRRORED THE STATE OF CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY.

LATER

AS A SOLO ARTIST, MAYFIELD'S LYRICS DENOUNCED DRUGS, BLACK ON BLACK

CRIMES, POVERTY, WAR AND OTHER SOCIAL ILLS.

HE HAS LEFT HIS MARK ON THE MOVIE INDUSTRY WITH THE SOUNDTRACKS OF
SUPERFLY, SPARKLE, LET'S DO IT AGAIN, A PIECE OF THE ACTION, SHORT
EYES, CLAUDINE, I'M GONNA GET YOU SUCKER AND SUPERFLY II.

HE WAS

NOMINATED FOR BOTH AN OSCAR AND GRAMMY FOR THE SUPERFLY ALBUM.

AND

RECENTLY, CURTIS AND THE IMPRESSIONS WERE INDUCTED INTO THE ROCK AND
ROLL HALL OF FAME.
I KNOW YOU'LL AGREE IT'S ALRIGHT IF I SAY I'M SO PROUD TO BRING TO
YOU "ARTISTS FOR A NEW DAY" IN A TRIBUTE TO CURTIS MAYFIELD'S
TIMELESS MESSAGES.
(ROSALIND EXITS)

GYPSY WOMAN

Selection #3

I'M SO PROUD

Selection #2

IT'S ALL RIGHT

Selection #1

(ROSALIND ENTERS)
CURTIS MAYFIELD BEGAN HIS CAREER AS A GOSPEL SINGER WITH A GROUP
THAT HIS MOTHER AND GRANDMOTHER STARTED IN THE TRAVELING SOUL
SPIRITUALIST CHURCH.

BY ELEVEN, HE HAD ALREADY STARTED WRITING THE

TUNES THAT WOULD EVOLVE INTO MONSTER HITS IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY. IN
19

, HE MET HIS LIFELONG FRIEND JERRY BUTLER AND THEY FORMED A ROCK

GROUP CALLED THE ALPHA TONES.

WITH THE ADDITION OF SAM GOODEN AND

RICHARD AND ARTHUR BROOKS, THEY LATER BECAME THE IMPRESSIONS.

IN

1958, THE IMPRESSIONS RECORDED THEIR FIRST MAJOR R & B HIT, FOR YOUR
PRECIOUS LOVE WITH JERRY BUTLER SINGING LEAD.

THE SUCCESS OF THIS

RECORD, CONVINCED THEIR LABEL TO PROMOTE BUTLER AS A SOLO ARTIST.

THE IMPRESSIONS FELL BY THE WAYSIDE.

BUT CURTIS CONTINUED WITH HIS

FRIEND, AND PENNED JERRY'S SOUL STANDARD, FOR YOUR PRECIOUS LOVE.
WHILE TOURING AND PLAYING GUITAR WITH BUTLER, CURTIS SAYS HE
FANTASIZED ABOUT GETTING THE IMPRESSIONS BACK TOGETHER AGAIN.
RESULT, HE SPENT A LOT OF TIME GOING TO THE MOVIES.

AS A

IT WAS IN ONE

OF THESE MOVIEHOUSES, THAT HE SAW A FILM WITH A GYPSY WOMAN DANCING

AROUND A CAMPFIRE LIGHT.

WRITING ABOUT THAT EXPERIENCE, CURTIS RE-

GROUPED A NEW AND IMPROVED IMPRESSIONS WITH GOODEN AND FRED CASE.
IT WAS THIS LINE UP OF GOODEN AND CASH, WITH CURTIS' FALSETTO ON
LEAD VOCALS THAT MADE A NAME FOR THEMSELVES BETWEEN 1961 AND 1964.
THEIR CHICAGO SOUND, THIS RAW MIXTURE OF BLUES AND GOSPEL, RIVALED
MOTOWN.

Segue - B
While Curtis was making mellow music in the 60's, the period
was a fervent boiling pot of activity, both in this country
and throughout the world. Both the positive and negative
aspects of seeds planted in the 60's, were reaped in the
70's. People, places, and things, great and small, raced
across the movies of our minds. Idi Amin seized control
of Uganda; Angela Davis, George Jackson and the Soledad
Brothers; Jonathan Jackson and the shoot-out at the San
Rafael Courthouse; Joe Frazier outpointed Muhammad Ali;
Kwame Nkrumah, architect of Ghanaian independence; and
Jackie Robinson, the first black man in America's favorite
pastime, baseball, who broke the color barrier, died; an
Earthquake shattered Los Angeles. 1 Eras were coming to
a close, and new ones were beginning, especially in films.
Artistic;cre^TTVe;aircr-monetary fervon_e*= Jfilms written
by blacks and others about blacks, burst onto local theater
screens.
Not since the 1920's, the days when Oscar
Micheaux, the Lincoln Company, Luther Pollard's Ebony
Corporation, the Colored Players of Philadelphia, and the
Lafayette Players of New York were producing "race" movies,
as others produced "race" music, were there so many films
about blacks. There were more black film production
companies theft than there are today. Their demise, lack
of capital and the means of production. Sound familiar?

Segue - B [continued]
Others effectively took over the pmducUon^-of these ,typej
of films later in the 20's, as was done in the 70's.
Melvin Van Pebbles' Sweet Sweetback's Bad Ass Song generated
$10 million. Gordon Parks, Sr.'s Shaft, with an Oscar
winning score by Isaac Hayes, woke Hollywood up to the
fact that 12% of the population represented 40% of the
movie-going audience, who not only purchased tickets, but
popcorn, soda, and candy too. "Sexploitation" films lifted
Hollywood out of its funky red ink into the black,
financially speaking.
. . ,\

94^
Curtis Mayfield was approached by Seg Shore and writer
Phil Fenty wlt.h_,Ih^,script - of Super Fly, to be directed
-by Gordon Parks, ~3r-m They wanted Curtis to do
;. ' NJ^fe,
soundtrack. All the time spent in moviehouses fantasizing
would soon pay off. The Super Fly album rose to #1 on
the pop charts. Two of the album's singles, Freddie's Dead
and Super Fly, rose to numbers 4 and 8 on the pop charts,
and numbers 2 and 5 on the R&B charts. The film and album
generated millions. Such a combination had not been seen
since Broadway converted musicals to films. The concept
of movie soundtracks was changed forever. Hollywood marched
to the bank, and quote, blaxploitation, unquote, films went the way of the dinosaur. We and Hollywood had a hand

Segue - B [continued]
in our own demise.
The movie and music were not without controversy. Many
thought that the film glorified the drug dealer. Huey
Newton labeled it a conspiracy; the NAACP picketed the
film in Washington, D.C.; and TV journalist, Tony Brown,
said that the "films of this genre were a phenomenon of
self-hate." "Going to see yourself as a drug dealer when
you're oppressed is sick," stated Brown. He argued, "We
not only identified with the drug dealer, we paid to see
it."
Curtis, in his gentle wisdom, said that it was just as
easy to look upon Super Fly as an anti-dope film. "You
can't," he said, "do nothing about drugs by pretending
they don't exist. You have to give people credit for
knowing what's right and wrong."
As you listen, think of the Ghetto Child running wild.
He may aspire to be Super Fly, but more times than not,
the Ghetto Child may end up like Freddie, the dope-chasing
junkie, dead. And what of Eddie and Priest? Any pusher
man should know better than dealing drugs to their brethren.
What are the alternatives for the Ghetto Child, Eddie,
Priest, or Freddie?
Just as Billie Holiday sang

Segue - B [continued]
God Bless the Child, Curtis cheerfully and prldefully adds,
I'm So Glad.

[Music up, as hostess exits.]

Selection
Selection
Selection
Selection
Selection
Selection

#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9

Super Fly
Pusher Man
Eddie, You Should Know Better

Junkie's Chase
Freddie's Dead
I'm So Glad

Hostess enters. [Music underneath]

Segue - C

i
A prophetic visionary, Curtis warned every American
community previous to Super Fly, that if There Was A Hell
Below, We Were All Gonna Go. For those of us Who Were
Darker Than Blue, and who didn't take stock of ourselves
by avoiding traps set by others, as well as those that
we set for ourselves, we could never Move On Up. But Move
On Up we could, regardless of the obstacles before us,
never forgetting The Makings of You, you and you all, we
could indeed Move On Up. Ladies--and gentlemen, Artist
for a New Day.
Selection #10
Selection #11
Selection #12

If There's A Hell Below

We People Who Are Darker Than Blue
The Makings of You

[Music ends. Off stage:]

f
^' =
Ladies
and- gentlemen, mat^^
concludes
the v>
first
half VFtheshow.
There will be a ten-minute
/
intermission.
House Lights Up
[Taped music begins.]
END OF ACT I

Hostess enters.

[Music underneath]

Segue - C
A prophetic visionary, Curtis warned every American
community previous to Super Fly, that if There Was A Hell
Below, We Were All Gonna Go. For those of us Who Were
Darker Than Blue^, and who didn't take stock of ourselves
by avoiding traps set by others,-- as well as those that
we set for ourselves, we could never Move On Up. But Move
On Up we could, regardless of the obstacles before us,
never forgetting The Makings of You, you and you all, we
could indeed Move On Up. Ladies and gentlemen. Artist
for a New Day.
Selection #10
Selection #11
Selection #12

If There's A Hell Below

We People Who Are Darker Than Blue
The Makings of You

SJ

[tele ens^V Off stage:]

Ladies" and gentlemen, that concludes the firsi
half of thex show. There will be a ten-minutf
intermission.
^-N.

House Lights Up
[Taped music begins.]
END OF ACT I

<"*?

*y
Segue - E
Curtis not only made mellow music in the early 60's, he
made music then, so that at times like these, we could
be reminded of our goal, our direction. It's as if Curtis
/
to the mountain, and not only wanted us to get '
there, he would get tnere with us.

j\v

V\*T 1)

/v ,..,-.-.-)*
It was said that his family always wanted him to be a
preacher, but Curtis knew that was one thing that he was
never gonna be. Nevertheless, Curtis found himself writing
spiritually-inspired gospel R&B songs. The only difference
that Curtis noted between his gospel-inspired R&B tunes
and gospel itself, was that he didn't use the word, "God."
He would, as he said, "just leave that open for the
individual to take in and just lay in the message itself."
x\m a period of 1961 to 1968, we needed to lay the message

itself. We needed the strength, as

made sense. But we had to keep on
we got to now. Perhaps even more
legacy, the spiritual power from
continue on then, as he is now.

it seemed like nothing

pushing then, just as
so. Thus, we are the
which Curtis drew to

y
j\s exits.

Continued

[Lights. Music.]

Selection #14
Selection #15

Keep On Pushing
Amen

Monologue

Curtis' hasn't lost a stop in his sensitivity or social

consciousness. If we /doulti but visualize what he sees,
observe his directing/us to social issues/in his digestable
musical idioms, we7 would b e \ i n step with the man. When
we stori popping7 our fingers for itfst a moment to his
infectuous beat, listen to trae me/sage that he imparts.
His revivalist background pricks\(/ur minds./fie admonishes
us to overcome self, combat negatiVeMoagers', and turn dreams
into
Curtis moved through three decades, the 60's into the 90's,
with Do Be Down and Super Fly II.
Each song connected to others in an albunr
/ places us squarely
at a crossroads. We can still be a Winner, but,' it's time
to place new wine in our old antiquated vessels. Jlhy
should we Abe relegated to statistical footnotes, people
to be uncared for, discarded, or afraid of? Curtis speaks
again with renewed energy, conscience, and conviction.
Although the times in which he wrote his songs is fixed,
his messages are timeless. They are as pertinent,
prophetic, and visionary today as they were yesterday.

Segue - F [continued]
and hopefully will not, in some cases, be tomorrow^ if
we can but get it together and conquer that which confronts
us, nov\u-

Hostess exits.

Selection #18
Selection #19

Do Be Down
Super Fly II

After these selections. Move On Up should begin musically.

The hostess should then come out, and begin thanking
everyone for coming and introducing band members, the
singers, producers, etc. Someone should then acknowledge
the hostess. The finale. Move On Up, starts, completes.
Curtain call. Good night.

ACT I I

use Fades to Black

stage:]
Ladies and gentlemen, Ms. Rosalind Cash
House Lights to Full
Hostess enters.
Segue - D

opedyouenjoyed the mustTr~anatfie top of the show arid

-> 1
ntermi ss i on.
l.tfs
^-agst~" a.flott^FrF^i-sftiay--"'OtCurtt
M
M
0

material ttetJaeaMCDte fomothers^

Major

Lance,

Gene

Chandler,

Aretha

Franklin,

the

Stairsteps, the Staple Singers, Gladys Knight and the Pips;

;he oth^TThfl^ that he scored: Sparkle~-a^^-^rndTne7 whicl^
him a Gulden Globe/ AwaroXand an pscarNiQmjnation,
ice of th^_AGt^ee7~t^-!-sDo_ It \AgaiiV, and_Shgrt Eyes^

Insightful ,vj3s his music was entertaining, Curtis Mayfield

said that he didn't take credit for anything that he wrote.
He looked upon his writings only as interpretations of
how the majority of people around him felt. He'd only
take credit for being able to put what they thought into

Segue - D [continued]
lyric form. "I'm not singing protest," he said, "I'm only
singing happenings; the actual reality of what's going
on around us, whether we'll admit it or not, it's there."
I

Thg Gentle Genius of Soul's receptive mind, adept fingers,

and responsive voice not only recorded the day's
urged us to expose and explore our lives.
What were we doing to
each other, as well as to the planet that we lived on?
What would the Vietnam veterans have to come home to, once
they got Back to the World. Hard Times, perhaps? Would
those who just Stare and Stare understand, or would their
stares turn you into the criminal that you were trying
so desperately to avoid being? Or is it that you weren't
concerned with helping those less fortunate than yourself?
Curtis, the poet, continued to combine gentle preaching
and prophecy to nudge us farther in our spiritual growth.
We were, to him, brothers all, and therefore, he wanted
us to be the keepers of our brothers, sisters, and this
world that we call home.

Hostess exits.

Continued
[Lights. Music.]
Selection #13

Stare & Stare

[Music ends.]
Hostess enters.