The Staples Singers
WIKIPEDIA
The Staple Singers were an American gospel, soul, and R&B singing group. Roebuck "Pops" Staples (December 28, 1914 – December 19, 2000), the patriarch of the family, formed the group with his children Cleotha (April 11, 1934 – February 21, 2013),[1] Pervis (November 18, 1935 – May 6, 2021),[2][3] and Mavis (b. 1939). Yvonne (October 23, 1937 – April 10, 2018)[4][5] replaced her brother when he was drafted into the U.S. Army, and again in 1970. They are best known for their 1970s hits "Respect Yourself", "I'll Take You There", "If You're Ready (Come Go with Me)", and "Let's Do It Again". While the family name is Staples, the group used "Staple" commercially.
The Staple Singers

The Staple Singers with Soul Train host Don Cornelius in 1974.
Background information
Origin Chicago, Illinois, United States Genres
Soul ; blues ; funk ; R&B ; gospel ; pop
Years active1948–94
Labels
United
Vee-Jay
Checker
Riverside
Stax
Epic
Columbia
Discos CBS
CBS Records
American Recording Company
Curtom
United Artists
WEA
Warner Bros.
Atlantic
Sony Music
Associated acts
Curtis Mayfield
Steve Cropper
Booker T. & the M.G.'s
The Ross Singers
Past members of the Staples Singers
Roebuck "Pops" Staples
Cleotha Staples
Mavis Staples
Pervis Staples
Yvonne Staples
HistoryEdit
First child to Roebuck "Pops" Staples and his wife Oceola Staples, Cleotha was born in Drew, Mississippi, in 1934.[6] Two years later, Roebuck moved his family from Mississippi to Chicago.[1] Roebuck and Oceola's children, son Pervis and daughters, Mavis and Yvonne, were born in Chicago.[6] Roebuck worked in steel mills and meatpacking plants while his family of four children grew up.[7] The family began appearing in Chicago-area churches in 1948.[4] Their first public singing appearance was at the Mount Zion Church, Chicago, where Roebuck's brother, the Rev. Chester Staples, was pastor.[8]
They signed their first professional contract in 1952.[9] During their early career, they recorded in an acoustic gospel-folk style with various labels: United Records, Vee-Jay Records (their "Uncloudy Day" and "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" were best sellers), Checker Records, Riverside Records, and then Epic Records in 1965. "Uncloudy Day" was an early influence on Bob Dylan, who said of it in 2015, "It was the most mysterious thing I'd ever heard... I'd think about them even at my school desk...Mavis looked to be about the same age as me in her picture (on the cover of "Uncloudy Day")...Her singing just knocked me out...And Mavis was a great singer—deep and mysterious. And even at the young age, I felt that life itself was a mystery."[10]
The Staples' move to Epic had a run of albums, including the live in-church Freedom Highway album produced by Billy Sherrill; the title track of which was a civil rights movement protest song penned by Pops Staples. It was on Epic that the Staple Singers developed a style more accessible to mainstream audiences, with "Why (Am I Treated So Bad)" and "For What It's Worth" (Stephen Stills) in 1967. In 1968, the Staple Singers signed to Stax Records and released two albums with Steve Cropper—Soul Folk in Action and We'll Get Over, Pervis returning for them.[11] After Cropper left Stax, Al Bell produced their recordings, conducting the rhythm sessions at the famed Muscle Shoals Sound Studio and cutting the overdubs himself with engineer/musician Terry Manning at Memphis's Ardent Studios,[12] moving in a more funk and soul direction.
"For most of this decade, Roebuck Staples—born December 28, 1914, about One Year & two weeks after Frank Sinatra—has been the oldest performer with direct access to the hit parade by some twenty-five years, so here's your chance to mind your elders. It's Mavis's lowdown, occasionally undefined growl that dominates, of course; you should hear how secular she gets with an O.V. Wright blues that got buried on The Staple Swingers. But Pops's unassuming moralism sets the tone and his guitar assures the flow."
—The Best of the Staples Singers review in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981)[13]
The Staple Singers' first Stax hit was "Heavy Makes You Happy (Sha-Na-Boom-Boom)" in early 1971. Their late 1971 recording of "Respect Yourself", written by Luther Ingram and Mack Rice, peaked at number two on the Billboard R&B chart and number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. Both hits sold over one million copies and were each awarded a gold disc by the Recording Industry Association of America.[14] The song's theme of self-empowerment had universal appeal, released in the period immediately following the intense American civil rights movement of the 1960s. In 1972, "I'll Take You There" topped both Billboard charts.[15] In 1973, "If You're Ready (Come Go With Me)" reached number 9 on the Hot 100 and number one on the R&B chart.
After Stax's 1975 bankruptcy, The Staple Singers signed to Curtis Mayfield's label, Curtom Records, and released "Let's Do It Again", produced by Mayfield; the song became their second number-one pop hit in the U.S., and the album was also successful. In 1976, they collaborated with The Band for their film The Last Waltz, performing on the song "The Weight" (which The Staple Singers had previously covered on their first Stax album). However, they were not able to regain their momentum, releasing only occasional minor hits. The 1984 album Turning Point featured a cover of the Talking Heads' "Slippery People", which reached the Top 5 on the Dance chart. In 1994, they again performed the song "The Weight" with country music artist Marty Stuart for MCA Nashville's Rhythm, Country and Blues compilation, somewhat re-establishing an audience. The song "Respect Yourself" was used by Spike Lee in the soundtrack to his movie Crooklyn, made in 1994.
Pops Staples died of complications from a concussion suffered in December 2000.[16] Cleotha Staples died in Chicago on February 21, 2013, at the age of 78, after suffering from Alzheimer's disease for over a decade.[17] Mavis Staples has continued to carry on the family tradition and continues to add her vocal talents to both the projects of other artists and her own solo ventures. She appeared at Glastonbury in 2015[18] and 2019,[19] and her 2016 album Livin' on a High Note includes a simple acoustic version of a Martin Luther King sermon in the track "MLK Song".[20] Yvonne Staples died on April 10, 2018, at the age of 80.[21] Pervis Staples died suddenly in his home in Dolton, Illinois, on May 6, 2021, at the age of 85.[22].
(See comments, for the pictures, of the discography.)
DiscographyEdit
Early albumsEdit
A Gospel Program (with The Caravans) (Gospel/Savoy MG-3001, 1958)
Uncloudy Day (Vee Jay VJLP-5000, 1959)
Will the Circle Be Unbroken (Vee Jay VJLP-5008, 1960)
Swing Low (Vee Jay VJLP-5014, 1961)
Hammer and Nails (Riverside RLP-3501, 1962)
The Twenty-Fifth Day of December(Riverside RLP-3513, 1962)
This Land (Riverside RM-3524, 1963)
Swing Low Sweet Chariot (Vee Jay VJLP-5030, 1963)
Amen! (Epic BN-26132, 1965)
Freedom Highway (Epic BN-26163, 1965)
This Little Light (Riverside RM-3527, 1965)
Why (Epic BN-26196, 1966)
Pray On (Epic BN-26237, 1967)
For What It's Worth (Epic BN-26332, 1967)
What the World Needs Now is Love(Epic BN-26373, 1968)
Soul Folk in Action (Stax STS-2004, 1968)
We'll Get Over (Stax STS-2016, 1969)
Source:[28]
Awards and Achiements
The Staple Singers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999[24] and the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2018.[25] They were also honored with a marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail in Drew, Mississippi.[26] In 2005, the group was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.[27]
ReferencesEdit
^ a b Cleotha Staples ObituaryLegacy.com accessdate July 20, 2018
^ Blistein, Jon (12 May 2021). "Staple Singers Co-Founder Pervis Staples Dead at 85". Retrieved 15 June 2021.
^ Traub, Alex (14 May 2021). "Pervis Staples, Who Harmonized With the Staple Singers, Dies at 85". Nytimes.com. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
^ a b Stack, Liam (11 April 2018). "Yvonne Staples, Member and Manager of the Staple Singers, Dies at 80". The New York Times. p. A25. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
^ O'Donnell, Maureen. "Yvonne Staples of the Staples Singers dies at 80". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved April 10,2018.
^ a b Cleotha Staples: Vocalist with the Staples Singers, The Independent, accessdate July 20, 2018
^ Gary Kramer, Liner notes to Riverside l.p. Hammer and Nails, 1962.
^ H.R.R. Liner notes to original Vee Jay l.p. Uncloudy Day, 1959.
^ Preiser, David (2002). Uncloudy Day[CD liner notes]. New York: Koch Jazz.
^ Interview with Bob Dylan. i newspaper (London) Feb 3rd 2015
^ Liner notes to Stax LPs Soul Folk in Action, 1968 and We'll Get Over, 1969
^ Rob Bowman Stax: 50th Anniversary Celebration (Beverly Hills) 2007, and see also Rob Bowman, Soulsville USA: The Story of Stax Records there cited.
^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: S". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 12, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
^ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 303. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
^ Billboard Publications Inc. BillboardR&B/Soul and Billboard Hot 100 charts, 10.9.1971 and 4.1.1972, cited by Rob Bowman, above.
^ "R&B pioneer Pops Staples dies". 2000-12-21. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
^ Obituaries, The New York Times, February 24, 2013; The Guardiannewspaper (London), February 24, 2013.
^ "Glastonbury 2015 - Mavis Staples". BBC Music Events. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
^ "Glastonbury 2019 - Mavis Staples". BBC Music Events. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
^ The Times newspaper, (London), February 19, 2016.
^ "Yvonne Staples of the Staple Singers dead at 80". suntimes.com.
^ Limbong, Andrew (2021-05-13). "Pervis Staples, Founding Member Of The Staple Singers, Dies At Age 85". NPR. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
^ "Critic reviews for Mavis!". metacritic.com. February 28, 2016. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
^ "Inductee Explorer - Rock & Roll Hall of Fame". rockhall.com.
^ "Staple Singers". Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
^ "Staple Singers". Mississippi Blues Trail.
^ "Staple Singers". GRAMMY.com. 2020-11-23. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
^ The Encyclopedia of Popular Music, p. 3105 0857125958 Colin Larkin - 2011.
^ a b c d "US Charts > Staple Singers". Billboard. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
^ a b "CAN Charts > Staple Singers". RPM. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 290. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ Dafydd Rees, Barry Lazell & Roger Osborne 40 Years of New Musical Express Charts (London) 1992. Entries for June 17, 1972, & July 6, 1974.
External linksEdit
The Staple Singers at VH1
The Staple Singers at AllMusic
I'll Take You There
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For the novel by Joyce Carol Oates, see I'll Take You There (novel).
"I'll Take You There" is a song written by Al Bell (using his real name Alvertis Isbell), and originally performed by soul/gospel family band The Staple Singers. The Staple Singers version, produced by Bell, was released on Stax Records in February 1972, and spent a total of 15 weeks on the charts and reached number-one on the Billboard Hot 100. It is ranked as the 19th biggest American hit of 1972.[2]
"I'll Take You There"
Belgian single release
Single by The Staple Singers
from the album Be Altitude: Respect Yourself
B-side"I'm Just Another Soldier"
Released
February 1972
Genre Funk[1]Length 4:43
3:16 (7" version)
LabelStaxSongwriter(s)
Al Bell
Producer(s)
Al Bell
The Staple Singers
singles chronology
"Respect Yourself"
(1971)
"I'll Take You There"
(1972)
"This World"
(1972)
"I'll Take You There" 1972
Original Staple Singers versionEdit
Included on the group's 1972 album Be Altitude: Respect Yourself, "I'll Take You There" features lead singer Mavis Staples inviting her listeners to seek Heaven. The song is "almost completely a call-and-response chorus",[1] with the introduction being lifted from "The Liquidator", a 1969 reggae hit by the Harry J Allstars. In fact, the entire song, written in the key of C, contains but two chords, C and F. A large portion of the song is set aside for Mavis' sisters Cleotha and Yvonne and their father "Pops" to seemingly perform solos on their respective instruments. In actuality, these solos (and all music in the song) were recorded by the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. When Mavis Staples says "Daddy, now, Daddy, Daddy" (referring to "Pop's" guitar solo), it is actually Eddie Hinton who performs the solo on the record. Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section bass player David Hood performs the song's bassline. Terry Manning added harmonica and lead electric guitar. Roger Hawkins played drums, Barry Beckett was on Wurlitzer electronic piano, and Jimmy Johnson and Raymond Banks contributed guitar parts. The horn and string parts were arranged by Detroit arranger Johnny Allen. The horns and strings were recorded at Artie Fields Recording Studios in Detroit Michigan.
Quite a few Staple Singers songs reference civil rights and social conditions. Many people interpret this song as describing an imagined world in which the civil rights movement has succeeded: "No more smilin' faces/lyin' to the races."
Rolling Stone editor David Fricke described this song as the "epitome of the Muscle Shoals Sound". It was recorded in Sheffield, AL at the famous Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, and overdubbed and mixed at Ardent Studios in Memphis by Engineer Terry Manning.
Bolstered by a "feel-good" vibe, "I'll Take You There" peaked at number-one on the Billboard R&B Singles chart for four weeks May 1972. In June, "I'll Take You There" reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for one week.[5] Billboard ranked it as the No. 19 song for 1972.[6] The song, ranked #276 on the Rolling Stone list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time[7] and inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999, remains the most successful and recognizable single of the Staples' half-century-long career.
In 1997, the song was used by Chevrolet for their advertisement of the 1997 Chevy Malibu.
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Mavis Staples & The Staple Singers: I'll Take You There


Written by Elaine Sexton
Poet, Critic, Educator
Song of the Day
May 14, 2019
When commissioned to compose a sequence of poems to be set to music to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising the song "I'll Take You There," from the same era, was among the first that came to mind. A kind of anthem first performed and recorded in 1972 by The Staple Singers, "I'll Take You There" was a protest song that reflected a kind of optimism, an instant and uplifting hit. Al Bell's lyrics are a call and response echoing the text of the title, building power on repetition, responding to an idea of hope for a future with: "Ain't no smilin' faces / Lyin' to the races". The original recording features Mavis Staples as the lead singer. Mavis joined her family's gospel singing group at the age of 11. The r& b soul singer/civil rights activist, turns 80 this summer––on tour, still singing this still necessary song.

Elaine Sexton is a poet, critic, and educator. She is the author of three collections of poetry, most recently Prospect/Refuge (Sheep Meadow Press, 2015). Her poems and reviews are widely anthologized and appeared in journals including Art in America, ARTnews, American Poetry Review, O! the Oprah Magazine, and Poetry. She teaches poetry and text and image at numerous colleges, universities, and art and writing centers in the US and abroad, among them Sarah Lawrence College, New York University, and Arts Workshop International.
NYFOS and Five Boroughs Music Festival recently commissioned a set of poems from Ms. Sexton inspired by the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall uprising. They have been set to music by a group of women composers and the complete song cycle, titled After Stonewall, will be premiered on June 11 at NYFOS Next: Laura Kaminsky & Friends.
Read other posts by Elaine Sexton.