The Staple Singers - A short History

The Staple Singers were an American gospel, soul, and R&B singing group. Roebuck "Pops" Staples (1914-2000), the patriarch of the family, formed the group with his children Cleotha (born 1934), Pervis (born 1935), Yvonne (b. 1936), and Mavis (b. 1939). They are best known for their 1970s hits "I'll Take You There", "Respect Yourself", and "Let's Do It Again".
The family began appearing in Chicago-area churches in 1948, and signed their first professional contract in 1952. [1] During their early career they recorded in an acoustic gospel-folk style with various labels: United Records, Vee-Jay Records, Riverside Records, and then Epic Records in 1965. While the family surname is "Staples", the group used the singular form for its name, resulting in the group's name being "The Staple Singers".
It was on Epic that the Staple Singers began moving into mainstream pop markets, with "Why (Am I Treated So Bad)" and "For What It's Worth" (Stephen Stills) in 1967. In 1968, the Staple Singers signed to Stax Records and released two albums with Steve Cropper and Booker T & the MG's — Soul Folk in Action and We'll Get Over. By 1970, Al Bell had become producer, and with Engineer Terry Manning, the family began recording at the famed Muscle Shoals studio, and Memphis' Ardent Studio, moving in a more funk and soul direction.

The first Stax hit was "Heavy Makes You Happy (Sha-Na-Boom Boom)". Their 1971 recording of "Respect Yourself", written by Luther Ingram and Mack Rice, peaked at number 2 on the R&B charts and was a number 12 pop hit as well. The song's theme of self-empowerment had universal appeal, released in the period immediately following the intense American civil rights movement of the 1960s. In 1972, the group had a huge No. 1 hit in the United States with "I'll Take You There". It topped both pop and R&B charts. "If You're Ready (Come Go With Me)" would become another big hit, reaching number 9 pop and number 1 on the R&B chart in 1973.

Then, after Stax's bankruptcy in 1975, they signed to Curtis Mayfield's label, Curtom Records, and released "Let's Do It Again", produced by Mayfield; the song became their second No. 1 pop hit in the US. In 1976, they collaborated with The Band on the song "The Weight" for their film The Last Waltz. However, they were not able to regain their momentum, releasing only occasional minor hits. Their 1984 album Turning Point featured their final Top 40 hit, a cover of Talking Heads' "Slippery People" (which reached also reached the Top 5 on the Dance chart). In 1994, they again performed the song "The Weight" with Country music artist Marty Stuart for MCA Nashville's Rhythm Country & Blues compilation, somewhat re-establishing an audience. The song, "Respect Yourself", was used by Spike Lee in the soundtrack to his movie, Crooklyn, made in 1994.

In 1999, the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Pops Staples died of complications from a concussion suffered in December 2000. In 2005, the group was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Oleta Adams
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Inez Andrews
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Kim Burrell
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Rev. James Cleveland
Commissioned
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Andrae Crouch
Sandra Crouch
Montrell Darrett
The Davis Sisters
The Dixie Hummingbirds
Thomas A. Dorsey
Five Blind Boys of Mississippi
Aretha Franklin
Cassietta George
Al Green
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Danniebelle Hall
Fred Hammond
Edwin Hawkins
Tramaine Hawkins
Walter Hawkins
Mahalia Jackson
Blind Willie Johnson
Mitchell Jones
John P. Kee
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Karima Kibble
Mark Kibble
Dorothy Love Coates
Donald Lawrence
Heather Martin
Mary Mary
Donnie McClurkin
Claude V. McKnight III
Roberta Martin
Thurman Ruth aka Thermon Ruth, T. Ruth
Ron Kenoly
Ira D. Sankey
Marvin Sapp
Briana Scott
Marilyn Sellars
The Sensational Nightingales
Karen Clark Sheard
Kierra "Kiki" Sheard
The Soul Stirrers
Sounds of Blackness
Richard Smallwood
The Statler Brothers
The Staple Singers
Keith Staten
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[pickrhead]

@babychan1778 Not the full original version, no. I got the PBS DVDs that have the interrupted clip, longer than this one but still frustrating. Maybe whoever has the whole clip will post it here someday. Mavis? That you?

[babychan1778]

@pickrhead were you ever able to find that version of Sit Down Servant. I wish I had that version as well. It was awesome.

[pickrhead]

The clip beginning at :40, a TV performance of Sit Down Servant, was shown on the PBS series American Roots Music around 10 years ago. That version was a lot livelier than the original record; their syncopated handclapping was just amazing. As usual the narration interrupted the clip halfway through so I bought the 4-CD soundtrack set hoping to hear the whole thing as well as Sister Rosetta Tharp's song but the CD performances were the record versions, not the TV versions.

[aymilyon]

@skenod Yes, they have a mother. Her name was (I will spell it the best I can. Osceolla.

[Jdubeats]

Can someone please tell me where the beginning video footage can be found?

[kensa1983]

thanxx shoutandshimmy

[skenod]

do they have a mother?

there is never any mention of who their mother is, or ever seen her image, I just love this group and would like to read more about the family.

[shoutandshimmy]

@kensa1983

The song is called "Great Day".

[kensa1983]

does anyone know the name of the first song? "who shall be able to stand' ??

startin 0.20 min

thanx

[Twisted19881]

i'd love to see any of those also. just found out about this group tonight, amazing stuff