The Staple Singers
The Staple Singers were a rare example of a mixed group from the 1950s to 1970s that first achieved significant success in gospel, then maintained their rank by playing soul music. Despite the success, this family ensemble of three sisters and one brother has remained tight-knit under the leadership of their father and singer-guitarist Roebuck Pops Staples (1).
The family, heir to the minimalism and expressiveness of Delta blues and country gospel (1), moved early from their Mississippi farm to Chicago to record with the big labels Vee-Jay, Riverside, Epic, then Stax, and was strongly involved in the Civil Rights Movement and the birth of protesting folk music.
The group took on its full dimension with the raucous and sultry contralto voice of Mavis Staples (2,3) which unfolded in spectacular fashion above the melodic line often sung a cappella and simply accompanied by the guitar of Pops.
In 1981, the Staple Singers performed their unique show at the Montreux Jazz Festival (Mavis Staples alone will return to the festival 4 times).
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(1) Pops has built up a large repertoire of traditional songs with his grandfather, who was born a slave and then lived as a free man for a long time.
(2) In 2025, Rolling Stone ranked Mavis Staples 46th among the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time and quotes Bob Dylan: «That just made my hair stand up, listening to that. I mean, that just seemed like, That's the way the world is».
(3) For more information, visit Mavis Staples official website.
