Roebuck
"Pops" Staples and the Staple Singers
The Mississippi Writers and Musicians Project of Starkville High School
Roebuck
"Pops" Staples and the Staple Singers
Born in 1914 in Winona, Mississippi, Roebuck "Pops" Staples'
introduction to music was from a traditional, inspirational source.
He says, "The first music that I listened to was acapella singing
in the churches. I was always into gospel right from a boy on up. I got
into blues stuff after gospel, when I got to be 12, 13, 15 year
old. I heard those guys singing the blues, and that's when I picked up
the guitar and tried to learn how to play." After numerous
great gospel and soul recordings for VeeJay, Riverside, Epic, and Stax
from the early 1950's on as the father and leader of the Staple Singers,
Pops Staples has started a solo career.
In 1991, Staples began extensive
touring as a solo artist. In 1992, The Staple Singers toured Europe; and
in 1993, they were among the highlights of both the Chicago
Blues Festival
and the Pointblank Borderline Blues Festival. Now in his early 80's,
Staples' musical spirit and busy schedule continue to amaze. The
original group name was "Staple," but the singers' names are
"Staples." Staples has recorded two CD's for Pointblank.
Most of the tunes are by Pops, and some of these were recorded previously
by the Singers. His career has covered fifty years. As
a solo artist and as leader of the Staple Singers, his music is a
blend of melody and message. Explains Staples, "Affirmative music
was just a thought I had to myself that I could sing something and
get people to listen, and maybe they would be better to one another."
He is a songwriter and guitarist who has influenced pop, rock, R&B,
blues, and especially gospel music. In the 1930's, Staples pioneered the
use of blues guitar in gospel music, and in the 1960's he aroused the anger
of traditionalists by successfully moving from purely gospel material
to creating music with a wider message and appeal.
Father Father, his 1994 Grammy winning release, is a high point
in his career. The followup to his acclaimed Grammy-nominated 1992
Pointblank debut, Peace To The Neighborhood, an album
called Father Father shows the power of Staples'
soft touch and strong beliefs. Father Father
includes "Why Am I Treated So Bad," and "Waiting For My Child."
Also joining Staples on the album
Father
Father are several well-known guests. Songs such as spirituals
"Jesus Is Going To Make Up (My Dying Bed)" and "The Downward Road"
include guitar work by Ry Cooder, drums by Jim Keltner, and harmony
by The Paramount Singers. The rest of the Staple Singers -- daughters
Mavis, Yvonne, and Cleotha -- also sing on the title track. Daughter Mavis
Staples joins her father in "Hope In A Hopeless World."
In addition to new Pops Staples's originals, Father Father
features cover versions of Curtis Mayfield's classic "People Get Ready"
and Bob Dylan's "You Got To Serve Somebody." He has also appeared
in three films: Wag the Dog, Three Stories,
and a video called Pops Staples --Live in Concert.
In 1999, Roebuck "Pops" Staples was awarded
the Mississippi Arts and Letters Special Award for his contribution to
music .At age 80, Staples received a Grammy Award in the Contemporary Blues
category for Father Father, his second Pointblank album.
Roebuck Staples died on December 19, 2000, in Chicago at the age of 84.
He had been living in Dolton, Illinois. He will be remembered for
many things, among them his song writing, his singing, and his guitar playing,
(which fused gospel with the blues), and his gospel and rhythm-and-blues
group, the Staple Singers.
Review of Pops Staples's Father, Father, Pointblank CD 39638, which was nominated for 1992 Grammy for Best Contemporary. It is gospel-driven soul by a seventy-year-old veteran.
Now in his fifth decade in the music industry, Pops Staples is a rock upon which is built several generations of beautiful, uplifting music, both sacred and secular. His own music, and that of his daughter, Mavis, and his family group, The Staple Singers has inspired many.
A video, Pops Staples - Live In Concert may still be available.
Summary of video Wag the Dog in which Pops Staples appeared.
Staples appeared in film (True Stories, made in 1986).
The Widespread Panic debut single, "Hope In A Hopeless World," is a remake of the song by gospel/blues legend Pops Staples. The members of Widespread Panic heard and met Staples at a Milwaukee Summerfest concert.
Texas State Fair Show goes on as a tribute to longtime gospel star even though Staples withdraws because of poor health.
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2000