Event: MAVIS STAPLES Interview and Music Special
Place: "Upper Room with Joe Kelley & Gi Dussault"
Dates: Wed. Oct. 6th and Thurs. Oct. 7th
Internet Stream:
www.upperroomwithjoekelley.com

Listen in to the "Upper Room with Joe Kelley" as he welcomes Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Mavis Staples for an in-depth interview and music special. Mavis Staples recently released a new CD, "Have a Little Faith" on Alligator Records. The CD has already garnered critical acclaim and worldwide airplay. Staples will embark on a fall/winter tour and highlights include concerts in Boston and New York City with Al Green in October.

Mavis Staples possesses one of the most recognizable and treasured voices in contemporary music. From her early days sharing lead vocals with her groundbreaking family gospel group, The Staple Singers, to her storied solo recordings, Mavis Staples is an inspirational force in modern popular culture and music. A veteran of the music scene for over 40 years--a Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee and included on VH1's list of 100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll--Staples (with The Staple Singers and on her own) is responsible for blazing a rhythm & blues trail while never relinquishing her gospel roots, influencing artists from Bob Dylan to Prince (who dubbed her "the epitome of soul") in the process. Appearances alongside everyone from the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to Bill Cosby to Presidents Kennedy, Carter and Clinton to musicians Janis Joplin, Pink Floyd, Santana and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and recording sessions with Bob Dylan, Los Lobos, Aretha Franklin and so many others barely scratch the surface of her accomplishments.

Mavis Staples recorded her first solo album for the famed Stax label in 1969. After another Stax release, Only For The Lonely, in 1970, she released a soundtrack album, A Piece Of The Action, on Curtis Mayfield's Curtom label. A 1984 album (also self-titled) preceded two albums under the direction of rock megastar Prince: 1989's Time Waits For No One, followed by 1993's The Voice. Her most recent release, 1996's Spirituals & Gospel: A Tribute To Mahalia Jackson, is a moving song cycle honoring Jackson, a very close family friend.
During her career Staples has appeared in many films and television shows, including The Last Waltz, Graffiti Bridge, Wattstax, New York Undercover, Soul Train, and The Cosby Show. Her music has been sampled by some of the biggest selling hip-hop artists, including Salt 'N' Pepa, Ice Cube and Ludacris. Mavis has recorded with a wide variety of musicians, from her close friend Bob Dylan (with whom she was nominated for a 2003 Grammy© Award in the "Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals" category for their duet on Gotta Change My Way Of Thinking from the album Gotta Serve Somebody--The Gospel Songs Of Bob Dylan) to The Band, Ray Charles, Nona Hendryx, George Jones, Natalie Merchant, Ann Peebles, Delbert McClinton and many others. She has provided vocals on current albums by Los Lobos and Dr. John, and she appears on recent tribute albums to Johnny Paycheck, Stephen Foster and Johnny Cash.

The "Upper Room with Joe Kelley and Gi Dussault" radio show has been on the air since 1982. The program is featured on radio, internet and television. Besides its live Monday WVOF broadcast, the show can be heard 24/7 online at www.upperroomwithjoekelley.com. Earlier this year, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer PRINCE featured the "Upper Room" on his official web site www.npgmusicclub.com.

For all the latest Mavis Staples info and CD ordering, please go to www.alligator.com
[Edited 10/2/04 8:47am]

Great discussion about the Paisley Park days and Mavis would love to open up for Prince on tour.

Hope you can all listen.