Mavis Staples facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mavis Staples
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Staples performing at Chicago Blues Festival in 2012
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| Background information | |
| Born | July 10, 1939 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1950–present |
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Mavis Staples (born July 10, 1939) is an American singer. She is known for her rhythm and blues and gospel songs. Mavis is also an activist who worked for equal rights.
She became famous as part of her family's band, The Staple Singers. Mavis is the last living member of this group. With the band, she sang hit songs like "I'll Take You There" and "Let's Do It Again". In 1969, Mavis released her first solo album, called Mavis Staples.
Mavis Staples has released many solo albums over the years. She has also worked with famous artists like Prince, Aretha Franklin, and Bob Dylan. Her album You Are Not Alone (2010) was very popular. It became her first solo album to reach number one on a Billboard chart. This album also won her first Grammy Award. She has continued to release new music, including One True Vine (2013) and We Get By (2019).
Mavis has received many important awards. She won a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for her long career. Rolling Stone magazine named her one of the "100 Greatest Singers of all Time." She was also added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Gospel Music Hall of Fame with The Staple Singers. In 2016, she was honored at the Kennedy Center Honors.
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Life and Music Career
Mavis Staples was born in Chicago, Illinois, on July 10, 1939. She started singing with her family group, The Staple Singers, in 1950. At first, they sang in churches and on a weekly radio show. In 1956, they had a hit song called "Uncloudy Day".
After Mavis finished high school in 1957, The Staple Singers began touring. The group included Mavis, her father Pops Staples, and her siblings Cleotha, Yvonne, and Pervis. They were known for their gospel music.
Singing for Civil Rights
In the mid-1960s, The Staple Singers became important voices for the civil rights movement. This was inspired by Pops Staples' friendship with Martin Luther King Jr.. They sang "message" songs that shared positive ideas. These included songs like "Long Walk to D.C." and "When Will We Be Paid?". Their music helped inspire many young people.
In 1968, the group signed with Stax Records. They combined their gospel singing with the sounds of Booker T. and the MGs. Between 1971 and 1975, The Staple Singers had eight songs in the Top 40. Two of these, "I'll Take You There" and "Let's Do It Again," reached number one.
Solo Work and Collaborations
Mavis released her first solo album in 1969 on the Stax label. Later, she released A Piece of the Action on Curtis Mayfield's label. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, she released two albums with help from the music star Prince. Her 1996 album, Spirituals & Gospels: A Tribute to Mahalia Jackson, honored Mahalia Jackson, a close family friend.
In 2004, Mavis made a big return with her album Have a Little Faith. She also worked with jazz-rock guitarist John Scofield on his album That's What I Say, which honored Ray Charles. In 2007, she released We'll Never Turn Back, an album focused on civil rights gospel songs.
Mavis's voice has been used by many popular artists, including Salt 'N' Pepa and Ice Cube. She has recorded with a wide range of musicians, from Bob Dylan to Prince. She even received a Grammy nomination with Bob Dylan for their duet "Gonna Change My Way of Thinking."
In 2010, Mavis performed at the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear with singer Jeff Tweedy. She also performed at the Kennedy Center Honors to celebrate Paul McCartney. In 2016, her album Livin' on a High Note was released. It featured songs written for her by artists like Nick Cave and Neko Case. Mavis said she wanted the album to have "joyful songs" to "lift people up."
In 2017, Mavis sang on "I Give You Power" by Arcade Fire, which supported the American Civil Liberties Union. She also appeared on the Gorillaz song "Let Me Out." Her album If All I Was Was Black came out in 2017, with songs co-written by Jeff Tweedy. She toured with Bob Dylan after its release. In 2018, she sang on Hozier's song "Nina Cried Power."
In May 2019, Mavis celebrated her 80th birthday with a concert at the Apollo Theater. She first performed there as a teenager in 1956. The concert featured special guests like David Byrne and Norah Jones. In 2022, she released Carry Me Home, a collaboration with Levon Helm recorded in 2011.
Film and Television Appearances
Mavis Staples has appeared in many films and TV shows. These include The Last Waltz, Graffiti Bridge, and The Cosby Show. Her music has also been used in movie soundtracks like The Help and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.
The documentary Mavis! was released in 2015. It tells the story of Mavis Staples and The Staple Singers. The film was shown in theaters and on HBO in 2016, and it won a Peabody Award. Mavis has also performed on many talk shows, including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
In 2021, Mavis's performances at the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival were featured in the music documentary Summer of Soul.
Personal Life
Mavis Staples was briefly married to Spencer Leak in 1964. They divorced because Mavis did not want to stop her music career. She does not have any children. In the 2015 documentary Mavis!, she shared that Bob Dylan once asked her to marry him, but she said no.
Awards and Recognitions
Mavis Staples has received many important honors throughout her career.
- In 1999, The Staple Singers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
- In 2005, Mavis and The Staple Singers received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. This award celebrates artists who have made lasting contributions to music.
- In 2006, she received a National Heritage Fellowship. This is the highest honor in the United States for folk and traditional arts.
- Rolling Stone magazine listed her as one of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time in 2008 and again in 2023.
- In 2011, Mavis won her first individual Grammy Award for Best Americana Album for You Are Not Alone. She said, "This has been a long time coming."
- She has also received honorary doctorates from Berklee College of Music and Columbia College Chicago.
- In 2016, Mavis was recognized as a Kennedy Center Honoree. This is a major award for artists who have contributed to American culture.
- In 2017, she was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.
- In 2022, she won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year as a featured artist on We Are by Jon Batiste.
Discography
Studio albums
- Mavis Staples (1969)
- Only for the Lonely (1970)
- Oh What a Feeling (1979)
- Time Waits for No One (1989)
- The Voice (1993)
- Spirituals & Gospel: Dedicated to Mahalia Jackson (with Lucky Peterson) (1996)
- Have a Little Faith (2004)
- We'll Never Turn Back (2007)
- You Are Not Alone (2010)
- One True Vine (2013)
- Livin' on a High Note (2016)
- If All I Was Was Black (2017)
- We Get By (2019)
Images for kids
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Staples at the LBJ Library in Austin, Texas (2014)
See also
In Spanish: Mavis Staples para niños
