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{{redirect|The Staples|other uses|Staples (disambiguation)}}{{short description|American gospel, soul, and R&B singing group}}{{More citations needed|date=March 2015}}{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2022}}

factoids

| years_active = 1948–1994, 1999United Records>Vee-Jay Records>Checker Records>Riverside Records>Stax Records>Epic Records>Columbia Records>Sony Music Latin>(Sony Music#1938–1970: Columbia/CBS RecordsAmerican Recording CompanyCurtom Records>CurtomUnited Artists Records>United ArtistsWarner Music Group>WEAWarner Bros. Records>Warner Bros.Atlantic Records>Atlantic|Sony Music}}Curtis MayfieldSteve Cropper>Booker T. & the M.G.'s|The Ross Singers}}| website =| current_members =Pops Staples>Roebuck "Pops" StaplesCleotha StaplesMavis StaplesPervis StaplesYvonne Staples}}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),WEB,weblink Cleotha Staples Obituary, Legacy.com, February 22, 2013, July 20, 2018, Pervis (November 18, 1935 – May 6, 2021),MAGAZINE,weblink Staple Singers Co-Founder Pervis Staples Dead at 85, Jon, Blistein, Rolling Stone, 12 May 2021, 15 June 2021, WEB,weblink Pervis Staples, Who Harmonized With the Staple Singers, Dies at 85, Alex, Traub, 14 May 2021, June 15, 2021, The New York Times, and Mavis (b. July 10, 1939). Yvonne (October 23, 1937 – April 10, 2018)WEB,weblink Yvonne Staples of the Staple Singers dead at 80, Chicago Sun-Times, Maureen, O'Donnell, April 10, 2018,weblink April 11, 2018, 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.

History

First child to Roebuck "Pops" Staples and his wife Oceola Staples, Cleotha was born in Drew, Mississippi, in 1934.NEWS,weblinkweblink June 18, 2022, subscription, live, Cleotha Staples: Vocalist with the Staples Singers, The Independent, July 20, 2018, Pierre, Perrone, March 2, 2013, Two years later, Roebuck moved his family from Mississippi to Chicago. Roebuck and Oceola's children, son Pervis and daughters, Mavis and Yvonne, were born in Chicago. Roebuck worked in steel mills and meatpacking plants while his family of four children grew up.Gary Kramer, Liner notes to Riverside l.p. Hammer and Nails, 1962. The family began appearing in Chicago-area churches in 1948.NEWS, Stack, Liam, Yvonne Staples, Member and Manager of the Staple Singers, Dies at 80,weblink April 16, 2018, The New York Times, 11 April 2018, A25, Their first public singing appearance was at the Mount Zion Church, Chicago, where Roebuck's brother, the Rev. Chester Staples, was pastor.H.R.R. Liner notes to original Vee Jay l.p. Uncloudy Day, 1959.They signed their first professional contract in 1952.Preiser, David (2002). Uncloudy Day [CD liner notes]. New York: Koch Jazz. 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."Interview with Bob Dylan. i newspaper (London) Feb 3rd 2015The move to Epic yielded 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.Liner notes to Stax LPs Soul Folk in Action, 1968 and We'll Get Over, 1969 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,Rob Bowman Stax: 50th Anniversary Celebration (Beverly Hills) 2007, and see also Rob Bowman, Soulsville USA: The Story of Stax Records there cited. moving in a more funk and soul direction.|width=23%|align=right|style=padding:8px;}}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.BOOK, Joseph, Murrells, 1978, The Book of Golden Discs, 2nd, Barrie and Jenkins Ltd, London, 303, 0-214-20512-6, registration,weblink 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. 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 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.In 1999, The Staple Singers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, where they performed "Respect Yourself" and "I'll Take You There".Pops Staples died of complications from a concussion suffered in December 2000.NEWS, 2000-12-21, R&B pioneer Pops Staples dies, en-GB,weblink 2020-12-02, BBC News, Cleotha Staples died in Chicago on February 21, 2013, at the age of 78, after suffering from Alzheimer's disease for over a decade.Obituaries, The New York Times, February 24, 2013; The Guardian newspaper (London), February 24, 2013. 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. In 2022, she released Carry Me Home, a collaboration with Levon Helm, recorded at Helm's Midnight Ramble in 2011. She appeared at Glastonbury in 2015WEB, Glastonbury 2015 - Mavis Staples,weblink 2020-12-02, BBC Music Events, en, and 2019,WEB, Glastonbury 2019 - Mavis Staples,weblink 2020-12-02, BBC Music Events, en, 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".The Times newspaper, (London), February 19, 2016. Yvonne Staples died on April 10, 2018, at the age of 80. Pervis Staples died suddenly in his home in Dolton, Illinois, on May 6, 2021, at the age of 85, leaving Mavis as the band's last surviving member.NEWS,weblink Pervis Staples, Founding Member Of The Staple Singers, Dies At Age 85, Andrew, Limbong, NPR, 2021-05-13, 2021-05-13,

Documentary

The 2015 documentary film Mavis! recounts the history of The Staple Singers and follows Mavis Staples's solo career after Pops Staples's death. Directed by Jessica Edwards, the film premiered at the 2015 South by Southwest Film Festival and was broadcast by HBO in February 2016.WEB,weblink Critic reviews for Mavis!, February 28, 2016, January 3, 2020, Metacritic,

Awards

The Staple Singers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999WEB,weblink Inductee Explorer - Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, rockhall.com, and the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2018.WEB, Staple Singers,weblink Gospel Music Hall of Fame, March 12, 2018, April 5, 2018, They were also honored with a marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail in Drew, Mississippi.WEB,weblink Staple Singers, Mississippi Blues Trail, In 2005, the group was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.WEB, 2020-11-23, Staple Singers,weblink 2020-12-02, GRAMMY.com, en,

Discography

Early albums

{{div col|colwidth=20em}}

• 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)

{{div col end}}Source:BOOK, The Encyclopedia of Popular Music, 3105, 978-0857125958, Colin, Larkin, 2011, Omnibus Press,

Charted albums{| class"wikitable" style"text-align:center;"

! rowspan="2"| Year! rowspan="2"| Title! colspan="3"| Peak chart positions! rowspan="2"| Record label style="font-size:smaller;"! width="35"| USMAGAZINE,weblink US Charts > Staple Singers, Billboard (magazine), Billboard, November 18, 2012,weblink July 3, 2013, ! width="35"| USR&B! width="35"| CANMAGAZINE,weblink CAN Charts > Staple Singers, RPM (magazine), RPM, November 18, 2012, 1971 The Staple Swingers| 117| 9| — Stax 1972 (Be Altitude: Respect Yourself)| 19| 3| 72 1973 Be What You Are| 102| 13| — 1974 City in the Sky| 125| 13| — 1975 Let's Do It Again| 20| 1| 87 Curtom 1976 Pass It On| 155| 20| — Warner Bros. 1977 Family Tree| —| 58| — 1978 Unlock Your Mind| —| 34| — 1984 Turning Point| —| 43| — Private I "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.">

Charted singles{| class"wikitable" style"text-align:center;"

! rowspan="2"| Year! rowspan="2"| Title! colspan="5"| Peak chart positions! rowspan="2"| Album style="font-size:smaller;"! width="35"| US! width="35"| USR&B! width="35"| AUSBOOK, Kent, David, David Kent (historian), Australian Chart Book 1970–1992, illustrated, Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W., 1993, 0-646-11917-6, 290, ! width="35"| CAN! width="35"| UKWEB, Staple Singers - full Official Chart History,weblink Official Charts Company, April 8, 2022, 1967 "Why? (Am I Treated So Bad)"| 95| —| —| —| — Why "For What It's Worth"| 66| —| —| —| — For What It's Worth1970 "Love Is Plentiful"| —| 31| —| —| — The Staple Swingers1971 "Heavy Makes You Happy (Sha-Na-Boom Boom)"| 27| 6| —| 60| — "You've Got to Earn It"| 97| 11| —| —| — "Respect Yourself"| 12| 2| —| 17| — Be Altitude: Respect Yourself1972 "I'll Take You There"| 1| 1| —| 21| 30 "This World"| 38| 6| —| 85| —1973 "Oh La De Da"| 33| 4| —| —| — (Wattstax#Album_releases|Wattstax: The Living Word) "Be What You Are"| 66| 18| —| —| — Be What You Are "If You're Ready (Come Go with Me)"| 9| 1| —| 79| 341974 "Touch a Hand, Make a Friend"| 23| 3| —| 33| — "City in the Sky"| 79| 4| —| —| — City in the Sky "My Main Man"| 76| 18| —| —| —1975 "Let's Do It Again"| 1| 1| 97| 7| — Let's Do It Again1976 "New Orleans"| 70| 4| —| 84| — "Love Me, Love Me, Love Me"| —| 11| —| —| — Pass It On1977 "Sweeter Than the Sweet"| —| 52| —| —| — "See a Little Further (Than My Bed)"| —| 77| —| —| — Family Tree1978 "I Honestly Love You"| —| 68| —| —| — "Unlock Your Mind"| —| 16| —| —| — Unlock Your Mind1979 "Chica Boom"| —| 82| —| —| —1984 "H-A-T-E (Don't Live Here Anymore)"| —| 46| —| —| — Turning Point "Slippery People"| 109| 22| —| —| 78 "This Is Our Night"| —| 50| —| —| —1985 "Are You Ready?"| —| 39| —| —| — The Staple Singers "Nobody Can Make It on Their Own"| —| 89| —| —| — "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

References

{{reflist|2}}

External links

• weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20021216075424weblink">The Staple Singers at VH1
• {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p5519}}
• {{Discogs artist}}

{{The Staple Singers|state=expanded}}{{1999 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame}}{{Mavis Staples}}{{Authority control}}