American musician Curtis Mayfield (1942 – 1999) plays his electric guitar, early 1972. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Curtis Mayfield wasn’t just a soul singer—he was a visionary. A poet. A producer. A voice of the streets. And for a brief moment in the late ’60s, he also had the chance to shape the next great kid group. But history had other plans.
“He had the Five Stairsteps. They were right on the edge,” Mason recalls.
The Five Stairsteps were dubbed “The First Family of Soul” before the Jacksons claimed that title. Handpicked by Mayfield in Chicago, they had the look, the sound, the polish. Their harmonies were tight, their outfits sharp, and their stage presence mature beyond their years. And they were family—just like the Jackson 5.
But just as they were poised for a national breakout, something happened that shook Mayfield to his core: the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“After King was killed, Curtis pulled back. He was angry. He was grieving. He started putting it all into his music.”
Instead of launching the Stairsteps into the stratosphere, Mayfield pivoted toward activism. His songs like “We People Who Are Darker Than Blue” and “Choice of Colors” became rallying cries for the movement. And later, his Superfly soundtrack would become one of the most powerful pieces of political soul ever created.
“He chose the movement over the marketplace,” Mason says. “And you know what? I respect the hell out of that.”
While Mayfield was writing about injustice and addiction, Motown was marketing lunchboxes, cereal box records, and TV specials. The Jackson 5 had Motown’s full machine behind them. Curtis had soul—but not the commercial infrastructure to match.
The Stairsteps would eventually score a timeless hit with “O-o-h Child,” but by then, the Jackson 5 had already moonwalked into legend.
“Curtis had kids that could’ve been stars. But he had something bigger on his heart. He wasn’t trying to be rich. He was trying to be right.”
It’s one of those moments in music where paths split—and Mason makes sure we don’t forget which sacrifices were made to get there.
