from the flyleaf: This is the untold story of living legend Mavis Staples - lead singer of the Staple Singers adn a major figure in the music that shaped the civil rights era. Now in her seventies, Mavis has been a fixture in the music world for decades. One of the most enduring artists of popular music, she and her family fused gospel, soul, folk and rock to transcend racism and oppression through song. Honing her prodigious talent on the Southern gospel circuit of the 1050s, Mavis and the Staple Singers went on to sell more than 30 million records, with message-oriented soul music that became a sound track to the civil rights movement - inspiring Martin Luther King Jr. himself.

I have just seen the documentary *Mavis* and this book, published in 2014, seems the companion piece to it. The film was exceptional, with lots of archival footage of performances, interviews and plenty of celebrities.

Unbelievably, Mavis Staples only came onto my radar in the last few years. How this is even possible, I don't know. It was shortly after hearing her on the radio and being mesmerized by her voice, that the documentary *Mavis!* played at the Hot Docs Festival here in Toronto. I loved it! Shortly after that, I found this book and I have to say, I really enjoyed it. Author Greg Kot does a great job at researching this book and covers the Staple Singers from their earliest roots, through their careers at various recording studios and collaborations with Bob Dylan, Prince, Levon Helm, among others; their travels to Ghana and South Africa, and their influence in the days of Martin Luther King Jr.'s civil rights movement. He goes into great detail about the songs, the music, and touches on the family's personal struggles and tragedies as well.

The only thing missing from this book was a CD! So, to that end, I spent quite some time googling and listened to (and watched, thanks to youtube) several performances. Just wow!

Early recording (1959): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rekp7rRcSFs

The song that is the title of the book:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uY3vgBzgYn4

Well...Jessibud, I am so glad you checked out Mavis. An amazing life. The first time I heard "I'll Take you There" and "Respect Yourself" I just loved her voice. She reminded me of a female Levi Stubbs (Four Tops lead vocalist). Remember "Bernadette"? That song - that voice - just about burns the tubes outta the radio. I read one time that Mavis and Bob Dylan fell in love and lived together. Wow. Imagine if they'd stayed together and had little Staples-Zimmermans. Some heavy talent there. Anyway....through the years, Mavis has remained a very inspiring person. I think everyone in the music industry loves her, she's just so real. Her recent collaborations have been really amazing - people like Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, Ry Cooder and Nick Lowe. Who wouldn't want a chance to work with one of the greatest living soul and gospel singers?