Mavis Staples is more rock ’n’ roll than any of us. Who else declined a marriage proposal from Bob Dylan in the early 60s because she felt she was too young to be tied down? Who else got divorced less than a year after getting hitched in 1964 because she refused to quit singing at her husband’s command? The legendary vocalist and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee has conviction and godly purpose in her music—and it’s been like that since she was a preteen in her family band.
The Staple Singers were an essential gospel, soul, and R&B group, and Mavis, the last surviving member, played an indispensable role. Though the group’s music was crucial to the civil rights movement, their classic songs—“I’ll Take You There,” “Respect Yourself”—are too timeless and influential to be cordoned off into any one era. You’ve heard them everywhere—which means you’ve heard Staples’s voice everywhere. And did I mention she’s a Chicago native?
Now in her 70th year in the music business, Ms. Staples has been blazing trails longer than I’ve been alive, and her body of work is rare and anointed. We won’t even get into her collaborations with Prince in the 80s and 90s, or the fact that her vocals on “I’ll Take You There” are among the most recognizable in music history.
When the vibes turn negative, social media timelines prophecy doom, the political knocks on the door grow more ominous and sinister, and we have no idea where to find inspiration, we often turn to music to ease the pain of society’s ills. Ms. Staples’s music can surely help smooth some of these existential bumps in the road. Even a shallow dive into her discography can bring you to a place of joy, perseverance, and restored hope for humanity; she has the gift of reminding us that even when the world seems its coldest, everything might just turn out all right.
On Friday, December 1, Ms. Staples brings her unmistakable voice, gruff and heartfelt, along with her incredible catalog to Evanston’s Cahn Auditorium. Respect yourself and grab tickets to see a homegrown powerhouse with a message that transcends trend and genre.
Mavis Staples Fri 12/1, 8 PM, Cahn Auditorium, Northwestern University, 600 Emerson, Evanston, $59-$250, all ages