Mavis Staples may be best known as one of the most dynamic gospel and soul singers of all time, but her involvement in the civil rights movement was just as important as her powerful voice. The vocalist and activist continues to add to her vibrant legacy as she is set to celebrate her 75th birthday this July.
Born July 10, 1939 in Chicago, Staples was reared in local churches where she groomed her soulful style. By the time she graduated high school in 1957, she and her family musical group, the Staple Singers, had already notched a hit song on the Vee-Jay record label. The Staple Singers consisted of her older siblings Cleotha, Yvonne, and Purvis and the family patriarch, Roebuck “Pops” Staples.
The group moved between the genres of gospel, R&B, and the blues, making a radical shift by becoming involved in the burgeoning civil rights movement in the 1960s. In 1963, after performing in Montgomery, Alabama, the Staples formed a bond with Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) leader Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. “Pops” Staples was enamored with Rev. King’s message, and for the next few years the Staple Singers became the voice of the movement.
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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