Fresh Air, Jerry Butler and Curtis Mayfield

Soul week continues on Fresh Air. Two former members of the vocal group The Impressions - Jerry Butler and Curtis Mayfield on this edition of Fresh Air. Singer Jerry Butler, aka The Iceman. His 1969 hit, "Only the Strong Survive," is a rhythm and blues classic, and also the title of his autobiography: Only the Strong Survive: Memoirs of a Soul Survivor. Butler founded The Impressions. His awareness of civil rights led him to politics, and he is serving his fourth term on the Cook County Board of Commissioners in Chicago. Curtis Mayfield has been called "the thinking man's soul man." He was known for his floating falsetto voice, gospel sound, and social commentary. He was with the group The Impressions for 12 years recording such classics as "Gypsy Woman," "I'm so Proud," and "People Get Ready." His score for Superfly, was considered a musical breakthrough, and has inspired many of today's hip-hop performers. Mayfield was preparing for a comeback, with the release of Return of Superfly, in 1990, when a freak stage accident left him paralyzed from the neck down. He died on December 26, 1999. (Original Broadcast Dates: November 22, 2000 and March 23, 1993)