Mavis Staples day

Today is Mavis Staples Day in Illinois; a celebration of one of the world's greatest soul and gospel singers who, as part of The Staple Singers, gave soulful voice to the civil rights movement.

The Staple Singers were inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King. Pops Staples said, “If he can preach it, we can sing it.” And sing it they did! Their vision of peace came out of the heartbreak of real life. I’ll Take You There was inspired when the President of their record company went to the funeral of his younger brother, who had been shot and killed. As he sat on the hood of an old bus in his father’s backyard, this man heard music in his head and these lyrics: "I know a place, ain't nobody worried, ain't nobody crying, ain't no smiling faces lying to the races, I'll take you there." In the place of despair, he had a vision of peace. He heard it and it wouldn't leave, it stayed there and the Staple Singers turned that vision into a call for peace. Theirs was a call for Civil Rights but as part of the coming of the Kingdom of God on earth.

If You're Ready (Come Go With Me) elaborated further as they sang:

“No hatred will be tolerated
Peace & love between the races
Love is the only transportation
to where there’s total communication

No disaster will ever enter there
No wars will ever be declared
No economical exploitation
No political domination

If you’re ready (Come go with me)”

Mavis' wonderful new album, We'll Never Turn Back, is a deeply personal account of her life from childhood days, through the Civil Rights era and on up to her current anger and indignation over the fact that many Americans are still treated as second class citizens. We'll Never Turn Back combines raw, emotional, contemporized versions of some of the freedom songs that provided the soundtrack to the civil rights movement of the 1950s/60s, along with other traditional songs and original songs written by Mavis and Ry Cooder.

She says, "Like many in the civil rights movement, The Staples Singers drew on the spirituality and strength of the church to help gain social justice and to try to achieve equal rights. With this record, I hope to get across the same feeling, the same spirit and the same message as we did then - and to hopefully continue to make positive changes. Things are better but we're not where we need to be and we'll never turn back."