The Staple Singers

Craft Recordings
Headshot of The Staple Singers

From their gospel beginnings to the height of their stardom, the Staple Singers traveled a long and artistically rich road into the mainstream of American music  ̶  not only becoming some of the most important voices in soul music, but also in the Civil Rights movement. Helmed by patriarch Roebuck “Pops” Staples, the Chicago-based group included daughters Cleotha and Mavis, as well as son Purvis (later replaced by his sister Yvonne). The gospel quartet began making appearances at local churches in 1948, and seven-year old Mavis quickly became the breakout star, sharing the lead with her father – her uniquely deep and soulful vocals a perfect match to Pops’ delicate, winsome tenor.

In 1957, the Staple Singers landed their first hit with single “Uncloudy Day,” released on Chicago’s Vee-Jay Records. Songs like “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” “Help Me, Jesus,” and “Swing Down Chariot (Let Me Ride),” followed, establishing the Staples as one of America’s top gospel attractions. The group would continue to expand their audience, releasing acoustic, folk-tinged spiritual records on Riverside and Epic, and touring the country – taking their act beyond just the church circuit. However, two events in the early ’60s would change the course of the band’s career. The first was a 1963 performance in Montgomery, AL, attended by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. Upon meeting Dr. King, the band was emboldened to write more politically charged lyrics, and albums Freedom Highway (1965) and Why (1966) reflected this, preaching a message of racial equality (title track “Why (Am I Treated So Bad)” was reportedly one of Dr. King’s favorite songs). An appearance at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival was also pivotal to the band’s development, as they caught the eyes and ears of the burgeoning counterculture movement, and were introduced to some of the biggest players in the the scene, including Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and Joan Baez.

By the time The Staple Singers signed to legendary Memphis label Stax Records in 1968, the group was performing alongside major rock acts at venues like the Fillmore West and East. Their first two Stax albums, produced by Steve Cropper, continued in the folk vein, but their third, The Staple Swingers (1971), offered a bold new direction of hip soul “message” songs. It was produced in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, by Al Bell, as was their next, Be Altitude: Respect Yourself. The 1972 LP made The Staple Singers bonified super stars; title track “Respect Yourself” reached the Number Two position on Billboard‘s Soul/R&B chart, while “I’ll Take You There,” with its infectious beat, hit Number One on the Billboard Hot 100. They would go on to release two more records and a handful of hit songs with the label, before it closed its doors in 1975.

The band continued to actively tour and record throughout the ’70s and early ’80s. The Staple Singers were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, and, five years after Pops’ passing in 2000, received a GRAMMY® Lifetime Achievement Award. In recent years, Mavis Staples has been back in the spotlight, headlining tours and reaching a whole new generation of fans with her solo records, on which she has collaborated with the likes of Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, and singer-songwriter M. Ward. In 2015, The Staple Singers were celebrated with the critically-acclaimed retrospective Faith And Grace: A Family Journey 1953-1976, while a year later, Mavis released a new album (Livin’ on a High Note), was the subject of a documentary (Mavis!) and ended the year as a Kennedy Center Honoree.

From their gospel beginnings to the height of their stardom, the Staple Singers traveled a long and artistically rich road into the mainstream of American music  ̶  not only becoming some of the most important voices in soul music, but also in the Civil Rights movement. Helmed by patriarch Roebuck “Pops” Staples, the Chicago-based group included daughters Cleotha and Mavis, as well as son Purvis (later replaced by his sister Yvonne). The gospel quartet began making appearances at local churches in 1948, and seven-year old Mavis quickly became the breakout star, sharing the lead with her father – her uniquely deep and soulful vocals a perfect match to Pops’ delicate, winsome tenor.

In 1957, the Staple Singers landed their first hit with single “Uncloudy Day,” released on Chicago’s Vee-Jay Records. Songs like “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” “Help Me, Jesus,” and “Swing Down Chariot (Let Me Ride),” followed, establishing the Staples as one of America’s top gospel attractions. The group would continue to expand their audience, releasing acoustic, folk-tinged spiritual records on Riverside and Epic, and touring the country – taking their act beyond just the church circuit. However, two events in the early ’60s would change the course of the band’s career. The first was a 1963 performance in Montgomery, AL, attended by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. Upon meeting Dr. King, the band was emboldened to write more politically charged lyrics, and albums Freedom Highway (1965) and Why (1966) reflected this, preaching a message of racial equality (title track “Why (Am I Treated So Bad)” was reportedly one of Dr. King’s favorite songs). An appearance at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival was also pivotal to the band’s development, as they caught the eyes and ears of the burgeoning counterculture movement, and were introduced to some of the biggest players in the the scene, including Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and Joan Baez.

By the time The Staple Singers signed to legendary Memphis label Stax Records in 1968, the group was performing alongside major rock acts at venues like the Fillmore West and East. Their first two Stax albums, produced by Steve Cropper, continued in the folk vein, but their third, The Staple Swingers (1971), offered a bold new direction of hip soul “message” songs. It was produced in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, by Al Bell, as was their next, Be Altitude: Respect Yourself. The 1972 LP made The Staple Singers bonified super stars; title track “Respect Yourself” reached the Number Two position on Billboard‘s Soul/R&B chart, while “I’ll Take You There,” with its infectious beat, hit Number One on the Billboard Hot 100. They would go on to release two more records and a handful of hit songs with the label, before it closed its doors in 1975.

The band continued to actively tour and record throughout the ’70s and early ’80s. The Staple Singers were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, and, five years after Pops’ passing in 2000, received a GRAMMY® Lifetime Achievement Award. In recent years, Mavis Staples has been back in the spotlight, headlining tours and reaching a whole new generation of fans with her solo records, on which she has collaborated with the likes of Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, and singer-songwriter M. Ward. In 2015, The Staple Singers were celebrated with the critically-acclaimed retrospective Faith And Grace: A Family Journey 1953-1976, while a year later, Mavis released a new album (Livin’ on a High Note), was the subject of a documentary (Mavis!) and ended the year as a Kennedy Center Honoree.