Songs like “March Up Freedom’s Highway,” inspired by the “Bloody Sunday” events of the 1965 in the Selma to Montgomery marches, and “It’s a Long Walk to D.C.” were immensely popular rallying songs for the activists on the ground fight for civil rights. The Mississippi blues informed much of the Staple Singers’ sound, and folk singers like Bob Dylan aligned themselves the positive messages in their music.
In the 1970s, the Staples moved away from protest anthems and injected strong messages of Black empowerment into their music. Some of the Staples’ biggest hits occurred in the early 1970s with songs like “Respect Yourself” and “I’ll Take You There” storming the charts.
The group’s biggest hit, “Let’s Do It Again,” was their only single to reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
Ms. Staples has had a solo career since the 70’s but she never found the chart success alone that he had in the group. Still, she has gone on to record 15 albums, releasing her most recent record One True Vine back just last year.
Staples still has the booming voice that defined both a generation and a movement those she influenced along the way owe her a great debt for the ongoing gift of her music.
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Photo: Jalylah Burrell
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