Another member of the gospel and R&B group from the 1970’s, the Staple Singers, passed away this week. Their musical style was very reminiscent of the music of the decade, having well-known hits such as “Respect Yourself” (we still need to do that) and “I’ll Take You There.” Both those songs made it to the top 10 of the Billboard charts, with a third, “Let’s Do It Again” reaching number 1 in 1975. The group performed in various locales in the city of Chicago before making the move to popular recording in the early 1970’s.
Here are 5 things you never knew about The Staple Singers.
1. The Performed Alongside of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Once the group took their musical style down to the South, they met up with Dr. King and visibly became part of the social justice and civil rights movements of the 1960’s. One member of the group, Mavis, was particularly active prior to and during their performing tours. You don’t have to listen very closely to hear the social equality themes in their music.
2. It Was a Family Group
With names like Roebuck, Cleotha, Pervis, Mavis, and later Yvonne starring on a marquee, you might not think that these are the names of a father and his children. But unlike some “family” groups, The Staple Singers are 100 percent bonafide family members. Roebuck, affectionately known as “Pops” was the patriarch of the family and it was his idea to have the family start publicly performing.
3. A Deaf Person Danced to One of Their Songs
In the movie, Children of a Lesser God, Sarah, who was actually deaf and was cast by Marlee Matlin, sat dining at a restaurant when the song “I’ll Take You There” began to play. She signed that she wanted to dance and could “hear” the music through the vibrations on the floor. You can watch the scene here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZtlP2ZnVjQ
4. Their First #1 Hit Came in the Year 1957
The group had success in their gospel song career 15 years before they became noticed on the R&B scene, with a song performed by Mavis, who was only 15 years old at the time. The song, “Uncloudy Day” was thought by many listeners to be sung by a much more mature voice. She described herself as a “skinny little knock-kneed girl.” That voice was one of a chorus that would propel them to international fame not too many years later.
5. One Member of the Group Dated Bob Dylan for 7 Years
Once again, Mavis makes the scene, being the one who had dated Dylan. They had met because Dylan was a huge fan of their music, and they had a romantic situation that lasted 7 years. Dylan asked Mavis to marry him. She turned him down. Why? In an interview in the Washington Post she said, “We had gotten with Dr. King and I was young and stupid, and I was thinking Dr. King wouldn’t want me to marry a white guy.” She could have asked Dr. King, right?
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