Percy Mayfield was born on August 12, 1920, and died on August 11, 1984. He was an American rhythm and blues singer known for his gentle singing style. He also wrote songs, including "Please Send Me Someone to Love" and "Hit the Road Jack." The song "Hit the Road Jack" was first recorded by Ray Charles.

Career

Percy Mayfield was born in Minden, Louisiana, the main town of Webster Parish, which is located in the northwestern part of the state. As a young person, he showed a talent for writing poetry, which later helped him become a songwriter and singer. He started his career performing in Texas and later moved to Los Angeles in 1942. However, he did not achieve success as a singer until 1947, when a small record company called Swing Time Records signed him to record his song "Two Years of Torture." The band that recorded the song included a saxophonist named Maxwell Davis, a guitarist named Chuck Norris, and a pianist named Willard McDaniel. The record sold well over the next few years, which led Art Rupe to sign Mayfield to his label, Specialty Records, in 1950.

Mayfield’s singing style was influenced by musicians like Charles Brown. Unlike many other blues musicians from the West Coast, he focused on singing blues ballads, which are slow, emotional songs. Most of these songs were written by him, and he sang them in a gentle way. His most famous song, "Please Send Me Someone to Love," became a number one R&B hit in late 1950. A reviewer named Bill Dahl described the song as "a multi-layered universal lament," meaning it expressed deep, shared feelings. The song had a big influence on other musicians and was recorded by many singers. After this success, Mayfield had six more Top 10 R&B hits, including "Lost Love" and "The Big Question," which helped establish him as a leading blues ballad singer and a skilled artist at expressing his emotions with vulnerability and sadness.

Mayfield performed at the 7th Annual Cavalcade of Jazz concert at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles on July 8, 1951. The event was organized by Leon Hefflin Sr. along with other musicians, including Billy Eckstine, Lionel Hampton, Jimmy Witherspoon, Roy Brown, and Joe Liggins and his Honey Drippers.

In 1952, at the peak of his popularity, Mayfield was seriously hurt in a car accident while returning from a performance in Las Vegas to Los Angeles. He was a passenger in a car driven by a chauffeur when the vehicle hit the back of a stationary truck. He was struck by debris from the crash. He was declared dead at the scene but later recovered. However, he spent two years recovering from his injuries. The accident left him with a facial injury that ended his career as a performer but did not stop him from writing songs. He continued to write and record music for Specialty Records and later for other labels, including Chess Records, Cash Records, Imperial Records, and Seven Arts. Mayfield and his Orchestra performed again at the 11th Annual Cavalcade of Jazz at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles on July 24, 1955, along with Lionel Hampton and other notable musicians.

In 1961, Mayfield’s song "Hit the Road Jack" caught the attention of Ray Charles, who signed him to his record label, Tangerine Records, as a songwriter. Mayfield wrote several songs for Tangerine, including "Hide nor Hair," "At the Club," "Danger Zone," and "But on the Other Hand, Baby." Ray Charles recorded at least 15 of Mayfield’s songs and signed him to a five-year contract as his private songwriter. Mayfield also released several singles as a vocalist on Tangerine, produced by Charles. One of these was a remake of "River's Invitation," which reached number 25 on the R&B chart in 1963. Two albums were also released, mostly collections of his singles.

After recording for Brunswick and RCA in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Mayfield briefly signed with Atlantic Records. The soul and blues artist Johnny "Guitar" Watson produced a minor R&B hit for him called "I Don't Want to Be the President," which spent five weeks on the charts in 1974 and reached number 64.

In the early 1980s, a keyboardist named Mark Naftalin, from the Bay Area, discovered that Mayfield was living in the East Bay region and invited him to collaborate on recordings and live performances in Marin County and East Bay clubs. This opportunity led to a 1982 studio session with the Dutch company Timeless Records and the Phillip Walker Blues Band, resulting in the album Hit the Road Again, which was released in 1983. Naftalin later produced a videodocumentary titled Percy Mayfield: Poet Laureate of the Blues, which included performances by Mayfield and testimonials from B. B. King and Ray Charles. Recordings of some performances with Naftalin were released after Mayfield’s death in the 1992 album Percy Mayfield Live.

Personal life

Mayfield married three times. The name of his first wife is not known. His second wife was Willie Mae Atlas Mayfield. His third wife was Tina Mayfield. He began working with Tina, who was also a blues musician, when she moved to Los Angeles in 1972. They married in 1984, and he died later that same year.

Percy had one child, Pamela.

Percy Mayfield died from a heart attack at his home in Los Angeles on August 11, 1984, one day before his 64th birthday. At his funeral, Little Richard performed "Thank You, Jesus" and "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot."