I'll Take You There - Mavis Staples, the Staple Singers and the Music That Shaped the Civil Rights Era - Greg Kot

 

I loved the infectious hits "I'll Take You There", "Respect Yourself", "Sha Na Boom Boom" and more when they sprung up on the AM radio in the early 70's without being aware of their - or the singers - connection to their religious upbringing, but I enjoyed the funky rhythms and especially the gospel-tinged vocals. It would be quite a while before I would explore more of the Staples Singers repertoire, but as I have, I have totally dug their mixture of blues, R'n'B, Gospel and Soul and their terrific interpretations and originals. They were also prominent in the Civil Rights Movement of the 60's and kept the fight going throughout their lives. This book concentrates on the fantastic Mavis, but, of course, the whole family's story is her story.

"Pops" Staples moved from the Delta - where he got to see and be inspired by the likes of Charlie Patton live! - to Chicago, joining the exodus of African Americans looking for a better life with better pay. The work was still back breaking, but the money was considerably better and he and his family were now in a major city, where he could once again work on his music. After getting frustrated working with others who lacked his discipline, Pops gathered his children around him and put together the family group. Funnily, Mavis was not interested in being the frontperson, but after her brother's voice change, Pops insisted. 

Of course, there was a lot of gospel folks who crossed over to pop and the Staples grew up with some of the biggest stars like Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin and Bobby Womack and remained friends with them after they went pop (often by simply changing the words of old religious songs).  The folk movement embraced the blues and gospel performers and one revelation here is that Mavis and Bob Dylan were in love and Bob even proposed, although Mavis and the family didn't think he was serious. But with the help of many white fans who were r'n'r stars, and with a more direct association with the Civil Rights Movement via Pops' topical songs, the Staples reached a wider, and whiter, audience and, thus, spread their message, upped their popularity and made considerably more money. They had some ups'n'downs but then hit their stride with a string of superb hit songs that resonate to this day. 

As usual, my favorite parts of their stories are the early days through their smash hits of the 70's and the story is less compelling after that, although, of course, I am interested in learning what became of the major players. Funnily enough, both Pops and Mavis won Grammys in their later years and while I don't believe that the material or performances match their early work, they garnered more respect as they got older - as blues artists like John Lee Hooker did - with material that lacked the power of their previous performances but were cleaned up for modern ears.

I truly enjoyed Kot's writing style - conversational, intimate and informative, with plenty of tidbits and insights from family'n'friends, as well as first hand interviews with the major players. Really well done and it will get you listening to their finest work over'n'over again!