Mavis Staples is celebrating her 87th birthday today, July 10, per parade.com. As the last surviving member of the influential family group the Staple Singers, the Chicago-born Grammy Award-winning music legend marks more than seven decades in the music industry, having evolved from a childhood gospel performer into one of the defining voices of both American soul music and the Civil Rights Movement.
Staples began her career performing alongside her father, Roebuck “Pops” Staples, and her siblings. Influenced by the family’s close relationship with Dr Martin Luther King Jr, the group blended traditional gospel music with messages of equality and justice, effectively creating a soundtrack for the era’s social change.
After signing with Stax Records, the Staple Singers achieved mainstream commercial success with a string of rhythm and blues hits. These included the timeless tracks “Respect Yourself,”, “Let’s Do It Again” and the US number one single “I’ll Take You There”.
Beyond her legacy with the family group, Staples established a solo career spanning more than 50 years. She has collaborated with high-profile artists across generations, including Prince, Aretha Franklin, David Byrne, Hozier and Jeff Tweedy. Her solo work maintained critical acclaim well into her later years; she secured her first competitive Grammy Award in 2010 for the album You Are Not Alone, and later won Album of the Year as a featured artist on Jon Batiste’s We Are.
Her career achievements have been widely recognised by the international music community. Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with her family in 1999, Staples has also received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, a Kennedy Center Honour and an induction into the Blues Hall of Fame as a solo artist.
An enduring aspect of her early legacy includes her profound impact on a young Bob Dylan. After hearing the Staple Singers’ early recording of “Uncloudy Day,” Dylan described her voice as the “most mysterious thing” he had ever heard. The two artists formed a lifelong friendship, with Staples later revealing she had turned down a marriage proposal from Dylan during their youth.
The Staple Singers were pivotal in bridging the gap between sacred and secular music during the 1970s. By moving gospel themes out of churches and into mainstream commercial clubs, the group introduced civil rights activism to broader pop and contemporary audiences, permanently reshaping the landscape of American popular music.
•Featured image: Mavis Staples performs onstage at the Chicago Theatre during the ‘Loop Alive’ concert in Chicago on Feb. 14, 1982/Paul Natkin/Getty Images