Originally recorded by The Impressions in 1961, "Gypsy Woman" reached number 2 on the R&B charts. Composed by Mayfield at the age of 14, the lead singer and guitarist of the Chicago vocal group, "Gypsy Woman" has a "Spanish flair" or influence and lyrics that pertain to a dark-haired woman with hypnotizing eyes. As a "Gypsy" this particular woman travels in a caravan and never stays in one place, thereby making this song one of unrequited love. They even use castanets to emphasize the Spanish theme. Listen to the original recording here!
Curtis Mayfield also recorded the song on a live album at the Bitter End in New York City in the early 1970s. By this time, Curtis had embraced funk and this version sounds nothing like the original recording with The Impressions. Without castanets, replaced by the funky congas and rhythms, the song loses the Spanish tinge but Mayfield of course shines as the vocalist. Indeed, I may even prefer this version over the original because of the funky percussion and Mayfield's smooth voice. Everyone has to love Curtis, especially with the great percussion backing him up.
Joe Bataan, an Afro-Filippino Latin soul singer from New York, recorded his own unique version of the tune with different lyrics. In fact, the song, recorded in 1968, is very different from Mayfield's versions. When I first heard the song, I recognized it immediately from a Fugees track from their classic, The Score. Bataan was also part of the boogaloo phase in Nuyorican music and, though a good singer and adept at fusing Puerto-Rican and Afro-Cuban rhythms with R&B, nevertheless faded from popularity with the death of the boogaloo craze in the late 1960s. Nevertheless, this version is great, especially the brass and the unforgettable handclaps at the end of the song. Listen. Bataan has some other great cuts as well, check out "Subway Joe" here. Unfortunately, Joe is not anywhere close to being as strong of a vocalist as Curtis Mayfield, but his version is far more danceable.
The Uniques, a Jamaican rocksteady group, recorded a cover in 1967 that is also radically different from the original. The vocals are more closely following the vocal group format and melody of the original, but we get that Jamaican riddim, bwoy. The harmonization here is just a pleasant treat for one's ears, even though the rocksteady beat deviates so much from the castanets. Definitely worth a listen to see how influential The Impressions were in the formation of Jamaican rocksteady and reggae music, since everyone else also recorded covers of great songs by Mayfield, Motown artists, and many other African-American soul artists. Here!
Major Lance also recorded a cover of the song that retains the Spanish-sounding percussion and theme with the string section, also differs in the guitarist's more funky sound. Nevertheless, a nice cover though Major Lance, like Bataan, lacks the ethereal voice of Mayfield. Check it out to hear a song, that in my ears, sounds like the meeting place between the original 1961 recording and Curtis's live recording from 1971. Interestingly, Major Lance went to the same high school as Curtis and lived in the Cabrini-Greens projects, he recorded other songs by Curtis Mayfield such as this. If you listen closely, you can detect the hand of Mayfield since "Um Um Um Um Um Um" sounds very similar to other songs penned by Mayfield. Don't forget to check out "Monkey Time" and "Hey Little Girl." And "Rhythm" which is a Curtis Mayfield song with a Latin beat!
Bobby Womack also recorded a cover of "Gypsy Woman." He is a great singer and has a broad range and emotional depth, making him closer to Curtis Mayfield as a strong singer. The keyboard accompaniment is not ideal, but it's interesting to hear "Gypsy Woman" as a 1980s R&B song.
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