The Impressions
"Keep on Pushin"
Sam Gooden
Samuel Gooden was born on September 2, 1934, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the youngest of eight children. At age sixteen, Gooden began to perform at Chattanooga’s Triumph Church of God in Christ, where his father George was assistant pastor. Gooden and his twelve-year-old neighbor Fred Cash called themselves the Southland Jubilee Singers. In the evenings, they joined other teenagers on their block in singing rhythm and blues. In late 1950, Gooden joined the Army, serving in Germany until 1953.
Fred Cash
Born on October 8, 1938, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Fred Cash was the third of four children in a musical family. Cash’s mother played the piano and he and the rest of his family sang at Chattanooga’s Beulah Baptist Church, which he attended “three times a day” growing up. At age twelve, Cash and his sixteen-year-old neighbor, Samuel Gooden, began to perform together at Gooden’s church as the Southland Jubilee Singers. The duo was also drawn to the music of the Platters and Ray Charles and spent their evenings singing rhythm and blues on the corner.
Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Lee Mayfield was born on June 3, 1942, in Cook County Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Marion Washington and Kenneth Mayfield, one of five children. His mother moved the family into several Chicago public housing projects before settling in Cabrini–Green during his teen years. Mayfield attended Wells Community Academy High School before dropping out his second year. His mother taught him piano and, along with his grandmother, encouraged him to enjoy gospel music. At the age of seven he sang publicly at his aunt's church with the Northern Jubilee Gospel Singers. Mayfield received his first guitar when he was ten, later recalling that he loved his guitar so much he used to sleep with it. He was a self-taught musician, but he grew up admiring blues singer Muddy Waters and Spanish guitarist Andres Segovia.
The Impressions in concert, 1974
CLIENTS
From the Archives
“For Your Precious Love" made the US Top Twenty but the billing on the record label, “Jerry Butler and the Impressions”, created friction. After a promotional tour, Butler went solo but he retained his friendship with Mayfield who wrote several of his records, notably “He Will Break Your Heart”, a No l R&B hit in 1960, and “Find Another Girl”. ​
Sam and Fred with the former U.S. President Barack Obama
Inductees into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, the Impressions had a string of hits in the 1960s, many of which were heavily influenced by gospel music and served as inspirational anthems for the Civil Rights Movement. They are also 1998 Grammy Hall of Fame inductees for their hit “People Get Ready” and winners of the Rhythm and Blues Foundation's Pioneer Award. The group's long career spanned over 60 years at the time of their retirement in 2018.
Meet the Members
Jerry Butler (1958-1960)
Curtis Mayfield (1958-1970)
Sam Gooden (1958-present)
Arthur Brooks (1958-1962)
Richard Brooks (1958-1962)
Fred Cash (1960-present)
Leroy Hutson (1970-1973)
Ralph Johnson (1973-1976; 1983-2000)
Vandy Hampton (1983-2003)
Nate Evans (1976-1979)
Reggie Torian (1973-1983)
Gary Underwood (1992-2001)
Willie Kitchens (1999-2002)