Called "The Poet Laureate of the Blues", Percy Mayfield was blessed with a wry, earthy voice and a poet's gift for writing insightful songs about the human condition. As Mayfield said: "I used to say in my slogans that 'the world is my playground, I'm at home everywhere I go.' Well, that's because of what I believe in. It made me a poet, and my gift is love." No where was this more evident than on Mayfield's immortal blues ballad "Please Send Me Someone to Love", one of ten numbers to hit the charts for Mayfield between the 1950's and early 1970's. Mayfield described his unique style this way: "I just created it, tryin' to be a little different from anybody else. ...I laugh a lot. You know I grunt or bend notes or somethin' like that. But it's all comin' natural. ...Most of my style, and when I'm singin' sadness, started from pain, you know. ...You see, 'cause there's more sadness in the world then there is joy."

 "Well, my native home was in Louisiana. I was born in Minden, Louisiana, August the twelfth, 1920. ...And I came to California in 42'. I was properly raised in Houston. See, I went everywhere. But I never did anything like show business around there before I came to L.A. I just wanted to be a songwriter. You see, I been singin' all my life, when I was a boy growin' up I was singin' in choirs and things..." While he struggled to fulfill his musical ambitions he took a number of odd jobs as a dishwasher, a short order cook, a clothes presser and a taxi driver, among other professions. He tried his hand as a singer with the local band of George Comeau. The vocal part did not lead to success but he had written a song called "Two Years Of Torture" and with it hoped to provide a successful hit for blues and jazz vocalist Jimmy Witherspoon. He went to Al Patrick's Supreme Records label in L.A. and the folks there thought Mayfield's demo of the tune sounded good enough to be recorded by them. In late 1949 "Two Years Of Torture" was paired with the song "Half Awoke" [Supreme 1543, Swing Time 258] which was recorded with an all-star band that included sax man Maxwell Davis, guitarist Chuck Norris, and pianist Willard McDaniel. Through the early months of 1950 "Two Years Of Torture" was a steady seller in California, especially in Los Angeles. By July of the year the recording master was picked up by local music entrepreneur John Dolphin and re-released on his Recorded In Hollywood label.

 With "Two Years Of Torture" continuing to sell during most of the year, Art Rupe was impressed enough to sign Mayfield to an exclusive recording contract with his label Specialty Records. The first release for the label by Mayfield is "Please Send Me Someone To Love" backed with "Strange Things Happen." The record got off to a fast start in the L.A. area becoming a top seller in the first week of release and eventually climbed to number one on the R&B charts. By November Mayfield is a top draw in the Los Angeles area. Rupe signed Mayfield to a new five year contract in December doubling his royalty numbers. The hits came steadily as Mayfield scored with "Strange Things Happening" (#7 R&B), "Lost Love" (#2 R&B) "What a Fool I Was" (#8 R&B), "Prayin' for Your Return" (#9 R&B), "Cry Baby" (#9 R&B), and "Big Question" (#6 R&B ) cementing his reputation as one of the blues premier balladeers. Mayfield's lyrics were keenly insightful and decidedly downbeat as exemplified on brilliant numbers like "Life Is Suicide" and "The River's Invitation" to name two prime examples.

 In September of 1952 while returning to Los Angeles from a date in Las Vegas, Mayfield was seriously injured in an auto accident. His career was put on hold while a long recuperation period began. A tragic result of the accident was the serious disfigurement of Mayfield's facial features which which had a profound effect on him. Even though his touring was drastically curtailed after the accident, Mayfield hung in there as a Specialty artist through 1954, switching to Chess in 1955-56 and Imperial in 1959. Around this time Mayfield went around to various labels with a song he had written. The song was called "Hit The Road, Jack", and it came to the attention of Ray Charles who was also starting his own record label called Tangerine. The new label would be distributed by ABC Paramount. Charles hired on Mayfield as a writer and also gave him a chance to record for the label.

 Mayfield penned some prime material for Charles during this period including "Hide Nor Hair," "The Danger Zone," "My Baby Don't Dig Me", "At The Club", "On The Other Hand, Baby" among others. He recorded two LP's for Tangerine (with the Ray Charles band), "My Jug And I" and "Bought Blues." This was a particularly fertile period that found Mayfield waxing gems like a funky remake of "River's Invitation" which hit #25 on the charts, the autobiographical "Stranger In My Own Home Town" which was subsequently recorded by both Elvis and Mose Allison, harrowing tales about his bout with alcoholism on "My Bottle Is My Companion" and "My Jug And I" and his last chart hit, the humorous "I Don't Want To Be President" (#64 R&B) released in September 1974 on Atlantic the month before Nixon resigned.

 After leaving Tangerine in the late sixties Mayfield recorded a fine album for Brunswick in in 1968 called "Walking on a Tightrope." Featuring guitarist Wayne Bennett and a strong band, Mayfield is in top form on the title track plus gems like "May Pain Is Here To Stay" and "P.M. Blues." In 1970 he signed to RCA Victor cutting three albums for the label: "Blues...And Then Some", "Percy Mayfield Sings" and "Weakness Is A Thing Called Man." These albums are currently out of print and generally overlooked. While not as strong as his earlier work there's a number of fine songs including "To Live The Past" (#41 R&B), "The Highway Is Like A Woman", "Weakness Is A Thing Called Man" and "The Devil Made Me Do It." Mayfield spent the rest of the 1970's in relative obscurity, unable to get a record deal. He performed on a limited basis until his death in 1984. Since his passing his stature as a songwriter continues to grow and his songs remain oft covered.

Essential Listening

Poet Of The Blues (Specialty): 25 prime sides cut between 1950-1954 for Specialty including his immortal hit "Please Send Me Someone to Love" plus immaculate gems like "Strange Things Happening", "Lost Love" and "The River's Invitation." Backing provided by sax man Maxwell Davis and his great combo.

His Tangerine & Atlantic Sides (Rhino): Long overdue reissue of his great 1960's sides cut for Ray Charles' Tangerine label and for Atlantic. Highlights include "River's Invitation" (1963), whose funked-up Gerald Wilson arrangement helped Mayfield back onto the R&B charts at #25, "Stranger In My Own Home Town", "My Bottle Is My Companion" and "My Jug And I" chronicling his bouts with alcoholism in the period following his accident. Great backing by Ray Charles and his marvelous band.

Walking On A Tightrope (Arcadia): Reissue of Mayfield's fine 1968 Brunswick album. Apart from his classic Please "Send Me Someone To Love" and his own version of "Danger Zone" which he wrote for Charles this is all new material. Includes great observations of the world around him suffused with his dry wit including the title song, "May Pain Is Here To Stay", "P.M. Blues" and "Sho Gonna Leave You Alone" and others. Excellent guitar work by Wayne Bennett on these sides although the rest of the band is unknown.

-Govenar, Alan, Meeting The Blues, Taylor Publishing Company, 1988.

-Shurman, Dick. Percy Mayfield, Living Blues no. 50 (1981), 12-25.