Formed:
Genres:
Principal Members:
- "Pops" Staples (born Roebuck Staples, December 28, 1915, Winona, MS; died December 19, 2000, Chicago, IL): guitar, vocals
- Mavis Staples (born July 10, 1939, Chicago, IL): lead vocals
- Pervis Staples (born November 6, 1935, Chicago, IL): vocals
- Cleotha Staples (born April 11, 1934, Drew, MS): vocals
- Yvonne Staples (born October 23, 1938, Chicago, IL): vocals
Contributions to music:
- The most famous examples of gospel crossing over into soul music
- Leader "Pops" Staples was considered one of the great blues guitarists
- Lead singer Mavis Staples is gospel's greatest diva and one of soul's greatest recognized voices
- Provided a more conservative, morality-based counterpoint to the activism of many of their contemporaries
- Went a long way towards reviving the Stax label in the early Seventies
- Concocted a brand of sensual yet spiritual groove that has yet to be equaled
Early years:
Success:
Later years:
Other facts:
- Son Purvis left the group in 1969, to be replaced by his sister, Yvonne
- The Staples were the first African-American group to record a Bob Dylan song ("Blowin' In The Wind," 1963)
- The song "Why Am I Treated So Bad" was reportedly Dr. Martin Luther King's favorite
- The Staples sing on The Band's classic "The Weight" in the film The Last Waltz
- Jazz legend George Benson played with the Staples before Pops got him a deal as a solo act
- Bruce Willis infamously covered "Respect Yourself" and had a Top Ten hit with it for his 1987 project The Return Of Bruno
- The groove of "I'll Take You There" has been sampled by many hip-hop artists
Awards/Honors:
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1999)
- GRAMMY Hall of Fame (1999, 2002)
- GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award (2005)
Recorded work:
Pop:
"I'll Take You There" (1972)
"Let's Do It Again" (1975)
R&B:
"I'll Take You There" (1972)
"If You're Ready (Come Go With Me)" (1973)
"Let's Do It Again" (1975)
Top 10 hits:
Pop:
"If You're Ready (Come Go With Me)"(1973)
R&B:
"Respect Yourself" (1971)
"Heavy Makes You Happy (Sha-Na-Boom Boom)" (1971)
"This World" (1972)
"Oh La De Da" (1973)
"Touch A Hand, Make A Friend" (1974)
"City In The Sky" (1974)
Dance:
"Slippery People" (1984)
#1 albums:
R&B:
Let's Do It Again (1975)
Top 10 albums:
R&B:
The Staple Swingers (1971)
Bealtitude: Respect Yourself (1972)
Other important recordings: "Uncloudy Day," "For What It's Worth," "Love Is Plentiful," "You've Got To Earn It," "Be What You Are," "Who Took The Merry Out Of Christmas," "My Main Man," "Love Me, Love Me, Love Me," "Sweeter Than The Sweet," "This Is Our Night," "The Weight," "We'll Get Over," "This Old Town (People In This Town)," "Hammer And Nails," "Nobody's Fault But Mine," "Too Close," "Won't You Sit Down (Sit Down Servant)," "I Wish I Had Answered," "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall," "Swing Low," "This May Be The Last Time," "Be Careful Of Stones That You Throw," "Why (Am I Treated So Bad)," "It's Been A Change," "Will The Circle Be Unbroken," "The Ghetto," "Long Walk To D.C.," "God Bless The Children," "The Gardener," "When Will We Be Paid For The Work We Did," "Who Took The Merry Out Of Christmas," "John Henry," "You're Gonna Make Me Cry," "Solon Bushi," "I Have Learned To Do Without You," "Trying Times," "The Only Time You Ever Say You Love Me," "I Got To Be Myself," "Trippin' On Your Love," "New Orleans," "I Honestly Love You," "H-A-T-E (Don't Live Here Any More)"
Covered by: Prince, General Public, Blackgirl, Joe Cocker, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Gladys Knight and the Pips, The Deltones, Johnny Otis, Carla Thomas, Kirk Whalum, BeBe and CeCe Winans, Otis Clay, Etta James, James Last, Herbie Mann, Mighty Sam McClain, Aaron Neville, Robert Palmer, The Selecter, Johnnie Taylor, The Temptations, Third World, The Weather Girls, Bruce Willis
Appears in the movies: "Wattstax" (1973), "The Klansman" (1974), "The Last Waltz" (1978)
