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Staple Singers on Soul Train. Photo outsourced from

10 Things You Didn’t Know About The Staple Singers

The Staple Singers was an iconic family group best known for its blends of gospel, R&B, funk rhythm, and soul to produce classic hits such as I鈥檒l Take you There. Their powerful vocals and lyrics cemented them in the music industry and inspired many artists and fans.

The gospel, soul, and R&B categories all benefited from the pioneering work of The Staple Singers. They were a force to be reckoned for their distinctive music and inspiring message, and their influence endures to this day.

let’s explore 10 Things you didn鈥檛 know about the Staple Singers.

1. The Staple Singers Was a Family Group

The Staple singers were a family group that consisted of father Roebuck 鈥淧ops鈥� Staples and his children Pervis, Mavin, Cleotha, and Yvonne. In the late 1940s, the family began performing together and in 1948, the family began appearing in Chicago-area churches.

Their first public singing appearance was at the Mount Zion Church, Chicago, where Roebuck鈥檚 brother, Rev. Chester Staples, was a pastor. The group went on to gain international fame for their classic songs.

2. The Staple Singers Signed Their First Professional Contract in 1952

Staple Singers on Soul Train. Photo outsourced from

In 1952, the Staple Singers signed their first professional contract with United Records and was their first record deal. Since, they went on to sign with other record labels, including Vee-Jay Records, Stax Records, Checker Records, Epic Records, and Riverside Records. 

With all the record labels deals, the group became one of the music industry’s most successful and influential family groups.

3. The Staple Singers Rose to Prominence in the Late 1960s

 Despite being active in the gospel industry since the late 1940s, they began to gain fame in the late 1960s. The incorporation of pop, soul, funk rhythms and R&B elements engineered it.

They had a couple of hit singles in the early 1970s, including I鈥檒l Take You There, If You鈥檙e Ready (Come Go With Me), Let鈥檚 Do It Again, and Respect Yourself. The hit I鈥檒l Take you There reached No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972 and has since become a classic and has been covered by many artists. 

Their fame came with a lot of commercial success, and they have influenced many artists, including Curtis Mayfield and Bob Dylan. They have also inspired many contemporary gospel and soul artists.

Also Read: 25 Greatest Gospel Singers of All Time

4. The Staples Singers, Pops Staples was a Blues Singer Before His Gospel Career

Pops Staples. Photo by John Mathew Smith-

The group’s father, Pops Staples, began as a blues musician. He sang and played guitar in various blues groups and was influenced by blues legends such as Robert Johnson and Charley Patton.

Pops performed in juke points and on street corners in Mississippi and Arkansas in the 1930s and 1940s. In the late 1940s, after moving to Chicago, he started performing with his family in church services, eventually forming the Staple Singers.

Despite his success in gospel music, he continued to play blues and was highly respected in both genres.

5. The Family Group Was Featured in a Documentary

The film Mavis! a 2015 documentary, recounts the history of the Staple singers and follows Mavis Staple鈥檚 solo career after Pops Staple鈥檚 death. Jessica Edwards directed the film.

Mavis! premiered at the 2015 South by Southwest Film Festival and was broadcast by HBO in February 2016. The film received mostly positive reviews from critics. Critic, Joe Leydon, reviewing the film for Variety, called it 鈥�a spirited and captivating bio-doc that richly deserves the exclamation point in its title.鈥�

6. They Took Part in the Civil Rights Movement

The Staple Singers participated in the civil rights movement and used their music to promote equality and social justice. Their song Freedom Highway drew inspiration from the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches, and the song Respect Yourself encouraged people to have self-respect and pride.

They performed at civil rights events and rallies organized by civil rights leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). In addition, they used their platforms to raise awareness about civil rights issues and spoke about their belief in interviews.

7. Mavis Staples is The Last Surviving Member of the Family Group

Photo by Marsha Miller-

All the other members have died, and Mavis is the last surviving member. Pops Staples died in December 2000 of complications from a concussion, Cleotha died in 2013 after suffering from Alzheimer鈥檚 disease for over a decade, Yvonne died in 2018, and Pervis in 2021.

Mavis Staples continues to carry on the family traditions and work on projects with other artists and her solo ventures. She released Carry Me Home in 2022, a collaboration with Levon Helm, recorded at Helms鈥檚 Midnight Ramble in 2011.

Check out: 50 Best Black Female Singers of all Time

8. The Staple Singers Received Several Accolades

In 1999, the Staple Singers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2018 inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Subsequently, they were honored with a marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail in Drew, Mississippi, and in 2005 awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

9. The Staple Singers, Mavis Staples, Has Had a Successful Solo Career

Mavis Staples. Photo by Jalylah Burrell-

In addition to Mavis Staple’s work with the Staple Singers, she has had a successful solo career. During her time in the group, she recorded hit singles such as Let鈥檚 Do It Again and I鈥檒l Take You There.

Throughout the following decades, Mavis released solo albums which earned critical acclaim and collaborated with other artists, including Prince, Aretha Franklin, David Byrne, and Nona Hendryx.

Her successful solo career has won her prestigious accolades, such as being inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2018. As a soloist, she was inducted into the Blue Hall of Fame and, in 2016, was made a Kennedy Center Honoree.

10. One of the Members of The Group Dated Bob Dylan

Obviously, we are talking about Mavis Staples being the one who dated Bob Dylan. They met because Dylan was a huge fan and greatly influenced by their music, and they began dating for seven years.

In the 2015 documentary Mavis!, she revealed that Dylan once proposed to her, and she turned him down.

Also read: Top 10 Astonishing Facts about Bob Dylan