Mavis Staples | |
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 Staples at the Montclair Film Festival in 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1939-07-10)July 10, 1939 (age 86) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Genres | |
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| Years active | 1950–present |
| Labels | |
Spouse | |
| Website | mavisstaples |
Mavis Staples (born July 10, 1939) is an Americanrhythm and blues andgospel singer andcivil rightsactivist. She rose to fame as a member of her family's bandthe Staple Singers, of which she is the last surviving member. During her time in the group, she recorded the hit singles "I'll Take You There" and "Let's Do It Again".[1] In 1969, Staples released herself-titled debut solo album.
Staples continued to release solo albums throughout the following decades and collaborated with artists such asAretha Franklin,Prince,Arcade Fire,Nona Hendryx,Ry Cooder,David Byrne,[2] and former romantic partnerBob Dylan.[3] Her eighth studio albumYou Are Not Alone (2010), earned critical acclaim,[4] and became her first album as a soloist to reach number one on aBillboard chart, peaking atop theTop Gospel Albums chart.[5] It also earned Staples her firstGrammy Award win.[6] Following this, she released the albumsOne True Vine (2013),Livin' on a High Note (2016),If All I Was Was Black (2017), andWe Get By (2019); she is also featured on the single "Nina Cried Power" byHozier.
As member of the Staple Singers, Staples is the recipient of theGrammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and has won five soloGrammy Awards, including one forAlbum of the Year as a featured artist onWe Are byJon Batiste.[7] Named one of the "Greatest Singers of all Time" byRolling Stone; Staples was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame (1999) and theGospel Music Hall of Fame (2018),[8] as a member of The Staple Singers. In 2016, she was made aKennedy Center Honoree. The following year, she was inducted into theBlues Hall of Fame as a soloist.[9] In 2019, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honored her with their inaugural Rock Hall Honors Award for her solo work.[10]
Staples was born inChicago, Illinois, on July 10, 1939. She began her career with herfamily group in 1950. Initially singing locally at churches and appearing on a weekly radio show, the Staples scored a hit in 1956 with "Uncloudy Day" for theVee-Jay label. When Mavis graduated from Parker High School (later namedPaul Robeson High School) in 1957,the Staple Singers took their music on the road. Led by family patriarchRoebuck "Pops" Staples on guitar and including the voices of Mavis and her siblings Cleotha, Yvonne, and Pervis, the Staples were called "God's Greatest Hitmakers".
With Mavis' voice and Pops' songs, singing, and guitar playing, the Staples evolved from enormously popular gospel singers (with recordings onUnited andRiverside as well as Vee-Jay) to become the most spectacular and influential spirituality-based group in America. By the mid-1960s the Staple Singers, inspired by Pops' close friendship withMartin Luther King Jr., became the spiritual and musical voices of thecivil rights movement. They covered contemporary hits that conveyed positive messages, includingBob Dylan's "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" and a version ofStephen Stills' "For What It's Worth".
During a December 20, 2008, appearance onNational Public Radio's news showWait Wait... Don't Tell Me!, when Staples was asked about her past personal relationship with Dylan, she admitted that they "were good friends, yes indeed" and that he had asked her father for her hand in marriage.[11]
The Staples sang "message" songs like "Long Walk to D.C." and "When Will We Be Paid?," bringing their moving and articulate music to a huge number of young people. The group signed toStax Records in 1968, joining their gospel harmonies and deep faith with musical accompaniment from members ofBooker T. and the MGs. The Staple Singers hit the top 40 eight times between 1971 and 1975, including two No. 1 singles, "I'll Take You There" (produced byAl Bell and recorded and mixed byTerry Manning) and "Let's Do It Again", and the No. 2 single "Who Took the Merry Out of Christmas?".
Mavis made her first solo foray while atEpic Records with the Staple Singers, releasing a lone single "Crying in the Chapel" to little fanfare in the late 1960s.[12] The single was finally re-released on the 1994 Sony Music collectionLost Soul. Her first solo album would not come until a 1969self-titled release for the Stax label. After another Stax release,Only for the Lonely, in 1970, she released a soundtrack album,A Piece of the Action, onCurtis Mayfield's Curtom label. A 1984 album (also self-titled) preceded two albums under the direction ofrock starPrince; 1989'sTime Waits for No One, followed by 1993'sThe Voice, whichPeople magazine named one of the Top Ten Albums of 1993. Her 1996 release,Spirituals & Gospels: A Tribute to Mahalia Jackson, was recorded with keyboardistLucky Peterson. The recording honorsMahalia Jackson, a close family friend and a significant influence on Mavis Staples's life.
Staples made a major national return with the release of the albumHave a Little Faith on Chicago'sAlligator Records, produced by Jim Tullio, in 2004. The album featured spiritual music, some of it semi-acoustic.
In 2004, Staples contributed to a Verve release by legendaryjazz-rock guitarist,John Scofield. The album, entitledThat's What I Say, was a tribute to the great Ray Charles and led to a live tour featuring Staples, John Scofield, pianist Gary Versace, drummerSteve Hass, and bassist Rueben Rodriguez. A new album forAnti- Records entitledWe'll Never Turn Back was released on April 24, 2007. TheRy Cooder-producedconcept album focuses ongospel songs of thecivil rights movement and also included two new original songs by Cooder.[13]
Her voice has been sampled by some of the biggest selling artists, includingSalt 'N' Pepa,Ice Cube,Ludacris, andHozier. Staples has recorded with a wide variety of musicians, from her friend,Bob Dylan (with whom she was nominated for a 2004Grammy Award in the "Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals" category for their duet on "Gonna Change My Way of Thinking", from the albumGotta Serve Somebody: The Gospel Songs of Bob Dylan) toThe Band,Ray Charles,Prince,Nona Hendryx,George Jones,Natalie Merchant,Ann Peebles, andDelbert McClinton. She has provided vocals on current albums byLos Lobos andDr. John, and she appears on tribute albums to such artists asJohnny Paycheck,Stephen Foster and Bob Dylan.
In 2003, Staples performed in Memphis at theOrpheum Theater alongside a cadre of her fellow former Stax Records stars during "Soul Comes Home," a concert held in conjunction with the grand opening of theStax Museum of American Soul Music at the original site of Stax Records, and appears on the CD and DVD that were recorded and filmed during the event. In 2004, she returned as guest artist for the Stax Music Academy's SNAP! Summer Music Camp and performed again at the Orpheum with 225 of the academy's students. In June 2007, she again returned to the venue to perform at the Stax 50th Anniversary Concert to Benefit the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, produced by Concord Records, who now owns and has revived the Stax Records label.
Staples was a judge for the 3rd and 7th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists.[14]
In 2009, Staples, along withPatty Griffin and The Tri-City Singers, released a version of the song "Waiting For My Child To Come Home" on the compilation albumOh Happy Day: An All-Star Music Celebration.[15]
On October 30, 2010, Staples performed at theRally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear alongside singerJeff Tweedy. In 2011 she was joined on-stage at the Outside Lands Music And Arts Festival byArcade Fire singerWin Butler. The two performed a version of "The Weight" by The Band.[16]
Staples also performed at the 33rdKennedy Center Honors, singing in a tribute to honoreePaul McCartney.[17][18]
Staples headlined on June 10, 2012, atChicago's Annual Blues Festival inGrant Park.
On April 9, 2013, Staples attended an event with other musicians at theWhite House for a celebration of soul music.[19][20]
On June 27, 2015, Staples performed on the Park Stage ofGlastonburySomersetUK. On October 31, 2015, Staples performed withJoan Osborne inWashington, D.C., atThe George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium as part of their Solid Soul Tour.
In February 2016, Staples's albumLivin' on a High Note was released. Produced byM. Ward, the album features songs written specifically for Staples byNick Cave,Justin Vernon,tUnE-yArds,Neko Case,Aloe Blacc, and others. Discussing the album Staples said:
I've been singing my freedom songs and I wanted to stretch out and sing some songs that were new. I told the writers I was looking for some joyful songs. I want to leave something to lift people up; I'm so busy making people cry, not from sadness, but I'm always telling a part of history that brought us down and I'm trying to bring us back up. These songwriters gave me a challenge. They gave me that feeling of, 'Hey, I can hang! I can still do this!' There's a variety, and it makes me feel refreshed and brand new. Just likeBenjamin Booker wrote on the opening track, 'I got friends and I got love around me, I got people, the people who love me.' I'm living on a high note, I'm above the clouds. I'm just so grateful. I must be the happiest old girl in the world. Yes, indeed.[21]
In January 2017, Staples was featured as a guest vocalist on "I Give You Power", a single fromArcade Fire benefiting theAmerican Civil Liberties Union.[22] In February 2017, Staples appeared onNPR'sWait, Wait ... Don't Tell Me! in the "Not My Job" segment, answering questions about the rock bandThe Shaggs. In April 2017, "Let Me Out", a single from the fifth studio album byGorillaz,Humanz, was released, featuring Staples and rapperPusha T.[23]
Staples's sixteenth albumIf All I Was Was Black was released on November 17, 2017. The record was again produced byJeff Tweedy and contains all original songs cowritten by Mavis and Tweedy. Following the release, Staples toured with Bob Dylan. She also appeared on the 2017/18Hootenanny. In 2018, she sang onHozier's single "Nina Cried Power".
In May 2019, Staples celebrated her 80th birthday with a concert at theApollo Theater, 63 years after first appearing at the theater as a teenager with her family band, the Staple Singers, in 1956. The show, which featured special guest artists, includingDavid Byrne andNorah Jones, is one of a series of collaborative concerts she staged in May to commemorate her 80th birthday.[24] She also performed at the2019 Glastonbury Festival.[25]
In June 2020, Staples collaborated withRun the Jewels on the track "Pulling the Pin" from their studio albumRTJ4. In 2022, Staples releasedCarry Me Home, a collaborative effort with the lateLevon Helm that they recorded together at Helm's Midnight Ramble in 2011. In 2025, she released a new solo album entitledSad and Beautiful World. The album's title track is a cover of theSparklehorse song, with the album also including covers of songs by artists such asTom Waits,Leonard Cohen,Frank Ocean andKevin Morby.[26]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Mavis Staples: "I'll Take You There", 2:44,The White House[27] |
During her career, Staples has appeared in many films and television shows, includingThe Last Waltz,Graffiti Bridge,Wattstax,New York Undercover,Songs of Praise,Soul Train,Soul to Soul,The Psychiatrist, andThe Cosby Show. Her music has been included in soundtracks for various other films and television shows such asThe Help,My Blueberry Nights,Dumplin',Charlie Wilson's War, andCSI: Miami.
Staples performed the title theme song for 1989'sNational Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.[28]
The documentaryLightning in a Bottle, directed byAntoine Fuqua, about the Salute to the Blues concert atRadio City Music Hall in February 2003 features a performance by Staples and many other notable musicians includingB.B. King,Buddy Guy, andBonnie Raitt.[29]
Mavis!, the first feature documentary about Staples and the Staple Singers, directed by Jessica Edwards, had its world premiere at theSouth by Southwest Film Festival in March 2015.[30]Mavis! screened in theaters and was broadcast onHBO in February 2016. In the same year, the documentary won aPeabody Award.
Staples has performed on various talk shows, includingThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno,Late Show with David Letterman,Conan, andThe Ellen DeGeneres Show. On September 8, 2015, Staples was a featured performer on the premiere episode ofThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
On June 15, 2019, Staples appeared as the featured musical guest on theCBS This Morning "Saturday Sessions" segment, where she played songs from herWe Get By.[31]
Staples's performances with the Staple Singers and with Mahalia Jackson at the 1969Harlem Cultural Festival are a highlight of the 2021 music documentarySummer of Soul.[32]
Staples was married to Chicago mortician Spencer Leak in 1964; they divorced eight years later when Staples would not end her music career to stay home.[33][failed verification][34] She has no children.[35] In the 2015 documentaryMavis!, she reveals thatBob Dylan once proposed to her, and she turned him down.[36]
| Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Grammy Awards | Best Inspirational Performance | Swing Low(withThe Staples Singers) | Nominated |
| 1968 | Best Soul Gospel Performance | Long Walk to D.C.(withThe Staples Singers) | Nominated | |
| 1971 | Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals | Respect Yourself(withThe Staples Singers) | Nominated | |
| 1972 | I'll Take You There | Nominated | ||
| 1973 | "Be What You Are" | Nominated | ||
| 1988 | Best Soul Gospel Performance by a Duo or Group, Choir or Chorus | "Oh Happy Day"(withThe Staples Singers) | Nominated | |
| 1995 | CableACE Awards | Performance in a Music Special or Series | "VH1 Honors"(withAl Green andBonnie Raitt) | Nominated |
| 2003 | Grammy Awards | Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals | "Gonna Change My Way of Thinking"(withBob Dylan) | Nominated |
| 2004 | Best Gospel Performance | "Lay My Burden Down" | Nominated | |
| 2005 | Lifetime Achievement Award | The Staples Singers | Won | |
| Blues Music Awards | Album of the Year | Have a Little Faith | Won | |
| Soul Blues Album | Won | |||
| Song of the Year | "Have a Little Faith" | Won | ||
| Soul Blues Female Artist | Mavis Staples | Won | ||
| 2006 | Won | |||
| 2007 | Nominated | |||
| Americana Music Honors & Awards | Spirit of Americana/Free Speech Award | Won | ||
| 2009 | Grammy Awards | Best Contemporary Blues Album | Live: Hope at the Hideout | Nominated |
| 2010 | Best Americana Album | You Are Not Alone | Won | |
| 2013 | One True Vine | Nominated | ||
| 2015 | Best American Roots Performance | "See That My Grave is Kept Clean" | Won | |
| 2017 | Blues Music Awards | Soul Blues Female Artist | Mavis Staples | Won |
| 2018 | Won | |||
| 2019 | Americana Music Honors & Awards | Artist of the Year | Nominated | |
| Spirit of Americana/Free Speech Award | Won | |||
| 2020 | Blues Music Awards | Entertainer of the Year | Nominated | |
| Instrumentalist - Vocals | Won | |||
| 2021 | UK Americana Awards | Lifetime Achievement Award | Won | |
| 2022 | Grammy Awards | Album of the Year | We Are(withJon Batiste and others, as a songwriter) | Won |
| 2026 | Best American Roots Performance | "Beautiful Strangers" | Won | |
| Best Americana Performance | "Godspeed" | Won |
In 1999, The Staple Singers were inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame byLauryn Hill.[37]
In 2005, Mavis and the Staple Singers were honored with aGrammy Lifetime Achievement Award.[38]
Mavis Staples is a recipient of a 2006National Heritage Fellowship, awarded by theNational Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States' highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.[39]
Staples was named No. 56 onRolling Stone magazine's 2008 list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.[40]
On February 13, 2011, Staples won her first Grammy award in the category forBest Americana Album forYou Are Not Alone. In her acceptance speech, a shocked and crying Staples said, "This has been a long time coming".[41]
On May 7, 2011, Staples was awarded an honorary doctorate fromBerklee College of Music inBoston, Massachusetts.
On May 6, 2012, Staples was awarded an honorary doctorate, and performed "I'll Take You There" with current and graduating students atColumbia College Chicago's 2012 Commencement Exercise in Chicago, Illinois, at the historicChicago Theatre.
Staples was recognized as a 2016Kennedy Center Honoree at the 39th annual gala event held in Washington, D.C.[42]
In 2017, Staples was inducted in to theBlues Hall of Fame.[9]
On November 6, 2021, Staples was inducted as a Laureate at the 57th Laureate Convocation of the Lincoln Academy of Illinois, and awarded theOrder of Lincoln (the State's highest honor) by the Governor of Illinois.[43]
In 2023,Rolling Stone ranked Staples at No. 46 on their list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.[44]
In 2024, Staples received the Golden Plate Award of theAmerican Academy of Achievement, presented by Awards Council members Gen.Charles Q. Brown Jr. andLeymah Gbowee at a ceremony in New York City.[45]
I had the same reaction when Mavis married the previously unmentioned Chicago mortician Spencer Leak in 1964. (In fact, not much is said about Leak until the divorce eight years later.)
| Awards | ||
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| Preceded by | First Amendment Center/AMA "Spirit of Americana" Free Speech Award 2007 | Succeeded by |
