Mavis Staples

Mavis Staples

Mavis Staples is an American gospel and soul singer from Chicago, born in 1939. She is best known as the lead singer of The Staple Singers, the group with which she spends most of her career. Her voice is a contralto, and her singing is marked by careful phrasing and a strong sense of tone and expression.

Early solo work and label history

Staples first records as a solo artist in 1969 for Volt, the Stax subsidiary. She later records a soundtrack produced by Curtis Mayfield for Curtom, makes a disco-leaning record for Warner Bros. Records in 1979, and explores electro-pop with Holland-Dozier-Holland in 1984. Her solo work also includes releases on Chomone Music and Alligator Records.

Collaborations and key recordings

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Staples works with Prince, who produces the solo albums Time Waits for No One and The Voice, along with other collaborations. She and The Staple Singers reach new audiences through their contribution to Rhythm, Country and Blues. In 1996, she releases Spirituals and Gospel: Dedicated to Mahalia Jackson. Her album Have a Little Faith becomes one of her most notable releases in later years. She also issues We’ll Never Turn Back on Anti-Records, a concept album centred on songs associated with the civil rights movement and including two new original songs.

Style and repertoire

Staples is identified with rhythm and blues as well as gospel and soul. Her singing is described as relying less on sheer range or volume than on vocal control, phrasing, and a distinctive sensual quality in the sound of her voice.