Pops Staples | |
|---|---|
 Staples in 2000 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Roebuck Staples |
| Also known as | "Pops" |
| Born | (1914-12-28)December 28, 1914 Winona, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | December 19, 2000(2000-12-19) (aged 85) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1948 (1948)–1998 (1998) |
| Labels | |
Roebuck "Pops"Staples (December 28, 1914 – December 19, 2000) was an Americangospel andR&B musician. A "pivotal figure in gospel in the 1960s and 1970s",[1] he was a songwriter, guitarist and singer. He was the patriarch and member of singing groupThe Staple Singers, which included his sonPervis and daughtersMavis,Yvonne, andCleotha.
Roebuck Staples was born nearWinona, Mississippi, the youngest of 14 children. He grew up on a cotton plantation nearDrew, Mississippi. From his earliest years he heard, and began to play with, local blues guitarists such asCharlie Patton (who lived on the nearbyDockery Plantation),Robert Johnson, andSon House.[1][2] He dropped out of school after the eighth grade, then sang with a gospel group before marrying and moving to Chicago in 1935.[3]
There, he sang with the Trumpet Jubilees while working in the stockyards, in construction work, and later in a steel mill. In 1948, Roebuck and his wife Oceola Staples formed The Staple Singers to sing as a gospel group in local churches, with their children. The Staple Singers first recorded in the early 1950s forUnited and then the largerVee-Jay Records, with songs including 1955's "This May Be the Last Time" (later adapted byThe Rolling Stones as "The Last Time") and "Uncloudy Day".[1] In the 1960s, the Staple Singers moved toRiverside Records,Epic Records, and laterStax Records and began recording protest, inspirational and contemporary music, reflecting the civil rights and anti-war movements of the time. They gained a large new audience with "Respect Yourself" (which featured Pops, nearly 57 at the time, on lead on the long version for more than two minutes), the 1972 US # 1 hit "I'll Take You There", "If You're Ready (Come Go with Me)", and other hits. "Let's Do It Again" topped the Hot 100 on December 27, 1975, the day before his 61st birthday. Pops Staples (as Pop Staples) also recorded a blues album,Jammed Together, with fellow guitaristsAlbert King andSteve Cropper.[1]
In 1976, Staples also appeared in the movie documentingThe Band's final concert,The Last Waltz (released in 1978). Pops Staples shared vocals with his daughters and withLevon Helm andRick Danko on "The Weight." The group appeared in the concert on stage, but their later performance shot on a soundstage was used in the final film. It is considered by some fans as the definitive version of the song.[citation needed] After Mavis left for a solo career in the 1980s, Pops Staples began a solo career, appearing at international "blues" festivals (though steadfastly refusing to sing the blues).[1] Over the course of his career, he was nominated for threeGrammy Awards, winning the 1995Best Contemporary Blues Album Grammy forFather, Father.[4]
Staples also tried his hand at acting. In 1986, Roebuck played the role of Mr. Tucker, a voodoo witch doctor, in theTalking Heads filmTrue Stories, during which he performed "Papa Legba". He appeared as himself in the 1997Barry Levinson filmWag the Dog, singing "Good Old Shoe" withWillie Nelson.[5]
He died after suffering an ultimately fatal concussion in a fall at his home, just nine days shy of his 86th birthday.[1] After his death, his daughters Yvonne and Mavis gave one of his guitars to country and gospel musicianMarty Stuart.[6]
Musicians as diverse asCannonball Adderley, with his live albumWhy Am I Treated So Bad! (1967),Ry Cooder,Sandy Bull,Marty Stuart, andBonnie Raitt[1] have all expressed their respect for Staples.
At the4th Annual Grammy Awards for musical achievements in 1961, Pops Staples's albumSwing Low was nominated in theBest Gospel or Other Religious Recording category.[4]
Staples's 1992 albumPeace to the Neighborhood earned aGrammy nomination in theBest Contemporary Blues Album category.[4]
In 1995, he won theBest Contemporary Blues AlbumGrammy forFather, Father.[4]
In 1998, Pops Staples received aNational Heritage Fellowship from theNational Endowment for the Arts, which is the highest honor in the folk and traditional arts in the United States.[7]
In 1999, the Staple Singers were inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame.[8]
In 2010, Staples was honored with a marker on theMississippi Blues Trail in his hometown of Winona, Mississippi.[9][10]
In 2018, Staples was inducted into theBlues Hall of Fame.[11]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
