Led by their father, Roebuck "Pops" Staples, the singing siblings--Mavis, Yvonne, and Cleotha, plus brother Pervis--made their debut at a Chicago church in 1950. In the years that followed, they racked up an array of hits, first with gospel outings ("Uncloudy Day"), and later, '70s soul classics including the number one singles "Let's Do It Again" and "I'll Take You There."
"I was blessed to work with my father and my family," Mavis recalls. "It was wonderful to travel together, get up and have breakfast together. I didn't realize that some sisters didn't get along until we got on the road. These girls would ask me, 'How can you stand to be around your sisters all the time?'" Mavis was baffled; her sisters were her best friends.
Conversely, in recent years family commitments prevented Mavis from making music. Her father passed away in 2000, and she and her sisters spent his final years caring for him. Shortly after, Cleotha was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Only after Mavis felt certain that her sister was being adequately looked after did she decide to resume recording.
She did so with gusto. "Gotta Change My Way of Thinking," a duet with family friend Bob Dylan, earned her a 2003 Grammy Award nomination. If there's any justice, she'll walk off with an armful of trophies for Have a Little Faith, which emphasizes classic R&B timbres à la vintage Muscle Shoals and Memphis productions, while integrating tasteful contemporary touches.
Although Mavis has recorded solo before, working in cahoots with Curtis Mayfield, Holland-Dozier-Holland, and Prince, Faith easily surpasses all those efforts. The 11-song set opens with "Step into the Light," a mesmerizing mix of slide-guitar licks and funky undercurrents; as Mavis' husky, conviction-filled singing is augmented by the Dixie Hummingbirds, the vibe recalls the soulful moments of Talking Heads. (Not surprisingly--one of the Staple Singers' final hits was a cover of "Slippery People.") She details her father's life lessons on the rollicking "Pops Recipe," challenges the forces of evil on "There's a Devil on the Loose," and lifts her voice with the mighty Chicago Music Community Choir on "In Times Like These."
"I poured my heart into this record," says Mavis. "And I felt every word... because I was living it. I wanted it to be inspirational for the world, a ray of sunlight for these dark times, something to lift people up, and give them a reason to go forward."
The importance of leading people forward was another lesson Pops instilled in his children, aligning their ensemble closely with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. "Dr. King had a really jovial laugh," recalls Mavis. The group wrote and recorded songs--including "Why? (Am I Treated So Bad)" and "It's a Long Walk to D.C."--on behalf of the civil rights movement. "Daddy said, 'If Dr. King can preach it, we can sing it.'" Mavis remains committed to causes she believes in, and performed at this year's Democratic National Convention.
Even when they weren't mixing music with faith or politics, the Staple Singers never took the easy road. Think fans get uncomfortable today when Destiny's Child drops a gospel medley? It pales compared to the backlash when Mavis and company crossed over from church assemblies to mainstream radio. "Folks heard ["I'll Take You There"] being played on R&B stations--not to mention it had a beat that kids would dance to--but they didn't listen to the lyrics." Mavis sings a few lines: "I know a place/Ain't nobody cryin'/Ain't nobody worried/Ain't nobody lyin' to the races..."
"Now," she says, with playful hint of exasperation, "where else could I be taking you to but Heaven?" Judging from Have a Little Faith, Mavis Staples still knows the way there--and has never been happier to play tour guide.
