Past Programs
Evangelism and Missionaries - 2008
The Staple Singers
07/03/2008
For almost fifty years the Staple Singers were God's greatest hitmakers. Raised in the Mississippi Delta, the family led by their father Roebuck 'Pops' Staples joined the Great Migration to Chicago and in the late 1940s began performing gospel music in local churches. Pops and his children - daughters Cleotha, Yvonne and Mavis, and son Pervis - landed a record deal in the early 50s and cut their first hit single in 1956, 'Uncloudy Day'. The song showcased the family's strengths - Southern gospel quartet harmonies, Pop's reverbed Delta-blues guitar playing and Mavis' rich contralto voice. We'll hear the first family of gospel, with some of their hits from the 1950s to the 1970s and up to today, including a track from Mavis Staples' latest album, We'll Never Turn Back.
After establishing themselves as a gospel force, the Staple Singers became active members of the Civil Rights movement in America during the 1960s, recording protest standards and their own classic 'Why (Am I Treated So Bad)'. Released in 1967 it marked a new direction for the group - gritty message-songs strongly influenced by southern soul music.
In the 1970s after moving to Stax Records the Staples recorded some of their biggest hits including 'Respect Yourself' in 1971 and a year later the #1 hit 'I'll Take You There'. Pops Staples died in 2000 and the band effectively ceased, but Mavis continues to perform and to record fine albums of gospel-inspired music, including 2007's stunning collection of Civil Rights era songs, 'We'll Never Turn Back'. Mavis Staples will be touring Australia in March 2008.
