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'I'll Take You There': The Staple Singers' Rise From Church To Fame
NPR ^ | January 18, 2014

Posted on 01/19/2014 2:46:35 PM PST by nickcarraway

Today, the voices of Roebuck "Pops" Staples and his four children — Cleotha, Mavis, Pervis and Yvonne — are woven into America's DNA. As the Staple Singers, the family created a sound that was part blues, part gospel and part folk, breaking down musical walls and inspiring civil rights leaders.

Biographer Greg Kot wrote about the Staples family in his new book, I'll Take You There: Mavis Staples, the Staple Singers, and the March Up Freedom's Highway. He says that unique sound began with Pops Staples and the musical apprenticeship he dreamed up for his offspring.

"He had a cheap guitar — it only had four strings, it was like a secondhand, pawn shop guitar. But it was enough strings so that he could play a note and give each child their particular harmony part," Kot says. "There's something about being around people all your life, growing up with them, hearing them talk, hearing them sing off-key, hearing them yell at you. You know instantaneously where the phrase is going to drop, where the syllable is going to be, how certain words are going to be pronounced. You cannot replace that. And those harmonies lasted a lifetime."

But, Kot says, the success of the Staple Singers had as much to do with their differences as their similarities — especially when it came to taste.

"You have to understand, in this group you had several generations blending," he says. "Pops was a traditionalist, no doubt about it; he was a very staunch gospel man. But he was an open-minded guy, and part of it was, his children were listening to everything."

That open-mindedness would lead to relationships with Sam Cooke, Bob Dylan and many more. Kot spoke with NPR's Arun Rath about the family's journey from Chicago churches to the canon of American song, and about Mavis Staples' continued presence and relevance today. Hear more of their conversation at the audio link.


TOPICS: History; Music/Entertainment
KEYWORDS: gospel; staplesingers

1 posted on 01/19/2014 2:46:35 PM PST by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

http://www.last.fm/music/The+Staple+Singers/_/I%27ll+Take+You+There


2 posted on 01/19/2014 2:59:31 PM PST by yldstrk (My heroes have always been cowboys)
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To: nickcarraway

The Staples were the first time I heard something related to gospel music back in my formative years and thinking, Hey, that’s pretty cool!.

And here she is, in 2010, doing it every bit as well!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l64Bte5ygvM


3 posted on 01/19/2014 3:06:07 PM PST by bigbob (The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly. Abraham Lincoln)
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To: nickcarraway

Pops became an incredible, and influential guitarist! Studied extensively by Ry Cooder, Curtis Mayfield,,,,,,,,,and me. Wonderful player!


4 posted on 01/19/2014 3:06:34 PM PST by Dr. Bogus Pachysandra ( Ya can't pick up a turd by the clean end!)
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To: nickcarraway
Ain't no smiling faces, lying to the races.

Does Obama know this?

5 posted on 01/19/2014 3:09:13 PM PST by rabidralph
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To: rabidralph

He’s so vain, he probably thinks that song’s not about him.


6 posted on 01/19/2014 3:10:22 PM PST by RichInOC (Obama: I Love Me Some Me.)
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To: nickcarraway

Audio only, but just kick back and listen to two of the all-time greats:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXpi0WhDYLU


7 posted on 01/19/2014 3:13:12 PM PST by bigbob (The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly. Abraham Lincoln)
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To: nickcarraway

I’ve long associated I’ll Take You There, with an award winning stop action animation, “Ode to G.I. Joe”, which was a tribute to the large action figures of yore. The animator got a bunch of rare and valuable ones as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7_mz8JXqMg


8 posted on 01/19/2014 3:34:49 PM PST by yefragetuwrabrumuy (There Is Still A Very Hot War On Terror, Just Not On The MSM. Rantburg.com)
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To: nickcarraway

Dig deeper into the Staples. Mavis, for sure. Hardcore lefties.


9 posted on 01/19/2014 6:36:34 PM PST by ButThreeLeftsDo (Support Free Republic!!!)
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To: ButThreeLeftsDo

The words to their songs aren’t.


10 posted on 01/19/2014 8:16:40 PM PST by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

Their performance in Last Waltz was incredible.


11 posted on 01/19/2014 8:19:24 PM PST by Lurker (Violence is rarely the answer. But when it is it is the only answer.)
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To: nickcarraway
I strongly recommend their 1969 album Bealtitude: Respect Yourself. It is uplifting, soulful, funky, and drenched in the Stax/Muscle Shoals sound. It has an overt civil rights message that is squarely in the MLK camp and actually quite conservative. If you're looking for the rare experience of top notch music without having to filter the politics, this is it.
12 posted on 01/19/2014 8:46:21 PM PST by Yardstick
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To: Yardstick

The title track:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp6B9LRdGOg

And of course this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xO0Q3192Jrs


13 posted on 01/19/2014 10:27:20 PM PST by Yardstick
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To: nickcarraway; blam

The Staple Singers - This May be the Last Time
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1jGF-6bFpI

Respect Yourself Live Filmed Performance 1972
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oab4ZCfTbOI


14 posted on 01/20/2014 7:37:52 AM PST by SunkenCiv (;http://www.freerepublic.com/~mestamachine/)
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