The Staple Singers

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The Staple Singers on the cover of Uncloudy Day & Will the Circle Be Unbroken?

The Staple Singers were a United States gospel, soul, and R&B singing group. Roebuck "Pops" Staples, the patriarch of the family, formed the group with his children Cleotha (born 1934), Pervis (b. 1935), Yvonne (b. 1936), and Mavis (b. 1940). The family began appearing in Chicago-area churches in 1948, and signed their first professional contract in 1952. ^[1] During their early career they recorded in an acoustic gospel-folk style with various labels: United Records, Vee-Jay, Riverside, and then Epic Records in 1965.

It was on Epic that the Staple Singers began moving into mainstream pop markets, with "Why (Am I Treated So Bad)" and "For What It's Worth" (Stephen Stills) in 1967. In 1968, the Staple Singers signed to Stax and released two albums with Steve Cropper and Booker T & the MG's — Soul Folk in Action and We'll Get Over. By 1970, Al Bell had become producer, and the family began recording at the famed Muscle Shoals studio, moving in a more funk and soul direction. The first Stax hit was "Heavy Makes You Happy (Sha-Na-Boom Boom)". In 1972, the group had a No. 1 hit in the United States with "I'll Take You There." Their 1972 recording on Stax of "Respect Yourself," written by Luther Ingram and Mack Rice, was number 2 on the R&B charts and a Top 40 pop hit as well. The song's theme of self-empowerment had universal appeal, released in the period immediately following the intense American civil rights movement of the 1960s.

The Staple Singers then signed to Curtis Mayfield's label Curtom Records, and released "Let's Do It Again", produced by Mayfield; the song was a huge hit. After this, however, they were not able to regain their momentum, releasing occasional minor hits. In 1978, they collaborated with The Band on the song The Weight for their film The Last Waltz. In 1994, they again performed the song The Weight with Country music artist Marty Stuart for MCA Nashville's Rhythm Country & Blues compilation, somewhat re-establishing an audience. Pops Staples died of complications from a concussion suffered in December 2000.

In 2005, the group was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

[edit] Singles

Title (Year)	Position US Charts	Position UK Charts
"Why (Am I Treated So Bad?)" (1967)	#95
"For What It's Worth" (1967)	#66
"Long Walk To DC" (1968)
"I Have Learned To Do Without You" (1970)	#87
"Heavy Makes You Happy (Sha-Na-Boom Boom)" (1971)	#27
"You've Got To Earn It"(1971)	#97
"Respect Yourself" (1971)	#12
"I'll Take You There" (1972)	#1	#30
"This World" (1972)	#38
"Oh La De Da" (1973)	#33
"Be What You Are" (1973)	#66
"If You're Ready (Come Go With Me)" (1973)	#9	#34
"Who Took the Merry Out of Christmas?" * (1973)
"Touch a Hand, Make a Friend" (1974)	#23
"City In the Sky" (1974)	#79
"My Main Man" (1974)	#76
"Let's Do It Again" (1975)	#1
"New Orleans" (1976)	#70
"I'll Take You There" ** (1992)	#90

1) "Who Took the Merry Out of Christmas?" placed on the Billboard Christmas charts at #2.
2) This remake was recorded by Be Be and Ce Ce Winans and featured Mavis Staples.

3) "I'll Take You There" (both 1972 and 1992 versions), "If You're Ready (Come Go With Me)" and "Let's Do It Again" all reached #1 on the US R&B chart. 4) "Respect Yourself" has been certified Platinum by the RIAA, and "If You're Ready (Come Go With Me)" and "Let's Do It Again" have been certified Gold.