Mavis Staples sings from the heart

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By CHRIS J. STARRS

“What comes from the heart reaches the heart.”
So said Roebuck “Pops” Staples to his daughter Mavis when the young singer thought she needed to jump around onstage to attract attention to herself. And the late patriarch of the family group that would become the Staple Singers still resides happily in the heart of his daughter, who even after 40 years in show business continues to reach out to new fans.
“When I’m onstage singing, I can feel Pops’ presence within me,” said Staples, whose father died in 2000 after decades of being the leader and social conscience of the Staple Singers. “My mother and my mother’s mother had very strong voices, but my singing ability comes from my father’s side.”
The Staples’ rich sound has entertained and educated the masses for what seems like forever. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999, the Staple Singers had a stranglehold on the pop, gospel and rhythm & blues charts for years with such classics as “I’ll Take You There,” “Smiling Faces,” “Respect Yourself” (which Staples said “is still my favorite song”) and “Let’s Do it Again.” The group also provided an integral contribution to the musical score of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, performing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s favorite Staples’ song, “Why? (Am I Treated So Bad).”
Mavis Staples, the raspy voice in the group called “God’s greatest hitmakers,” will perform twice at the 8th Annual Harvest Moon Bluesfest at the Georgia International Horse Park. Staples will close out the festival’s second day with a 9 p.m. concert on Aug. 30 and will get the spirit moving at 12 p.m. on Sunday with “A Tribute to Mahalia Jackson” at the gospel brunch in the VIP and Sponsors Tent.
“In Conyers, they’ll get to see my show with my group, which I call the Staple Swingers, and then I’ll do a half-hour of Sister Mahalia on Sunday,” said Staples in a telephone interview the day after opening for Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers at the new Gwinnett Arena. “I thought that was a very unique idea to have me do Staple Singers songs, including a new song, on Saturday, and then have me do Sister Mahalia on Sunday.”
Mahalia Jackson and Tom Petty are just two of the legendary music icons that have crossed paths with Staples over her 40-year career. She’s also riding high these days thanks to a duet with Bob Dylan on a new album devoted to Dylan’s gospel songs. Her solo leanings also pointed her in the direction of Minnesota, where she worked with reclusive rocker Prince on two albums. Her musical family figured prominently in the Talking Heads’ production of the “True Stories” album and feature film. She’s even shared the stage with Athens-based jam-meisters Widespread Panic.
“I do feel very fortunate to have been able to work with these great individuals,” said Staples. “We didn’t intend to make singing a career – it was just something we did in the beginning to amuse ourselves. We never thought we’d come this far. It seems like we’ve been involved in the folk scene, bluesfests, jazz festivals; we’ve been fortunate to know all these wonderful people. But we were just the Staple Singers. I guess this is what the Lord wanted us to do.”
Staples said over the years, the group transitioned from gospel (“We’re the pioneers of contemporary gospel,” she said) to what she termed “freedom songs” to “message music.” And she feels the Staple Singers music (and message) made a positive impact on American society.
“Pops would tell our writers, ‘Read the headlines and write from there,’” she said. “He always wanted to sing songs that would make the world better and lift spirits. And we must have touched a lot of people because we haven’t had a record out in 15 years and people still come out to see us.”
Staples, who is sorting through offers to release an album she recorded earlier this year, knows that no matter what she’s singing - or who she’s singing it with – her father's admonition to send it from the heart will always be obeyed.
“I can be in pain, or have a bad headache, but once I get onstage and start singing, I don’t feel it anymore,” she said. “And people always let me know they enjoy what I’m doing. If I could touch just one somebody in the audience, my living has not been in vain.”