The Staple Singers - Let's Do It Again | Soul Sunday

The Staple Singers, a gospel-inflected R&B group, had roots in Drew, Mississippi, where oldest daughter Cleotha was born in 1934 to guitarist Roebuck “Pops” Staples and Oceola Staples. In 1936, hearing the call of the Great Migration, the family moved to Chicago, where son Pervis and daughters Mavis and Yvonne were born and where Roebuck’s brother, a cleric, lived. Roebuck worked in steel mills and meatpacking plants while his offspring were growing up. He and they debuted as a unit—using the family name in the singular—at Chicago’s Mount Zion Church, where Rev. Chester Roebuck was pastor, in 1948. The Staple Singers at first sang in the acoustic folk gospel style, signing their first recording contract in 1952 and working for many labels. They scored with “Uncloudy Day” and “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.” In 1965 they moved to Epic Records, widening their repertoire to timely numbers like “For What It’s Worth” and Pops Staples’s “Freedom Highway.” A move to Stax brought them into contact with producer Steve Cropper and later Al Bell. Bell took them to Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, whose funkier groove complemented their harmonies. Their recording of Al Kooper’s “Brand New Day” was the opening theme for the 1970 film The Landlord. The group’s Stax output included “Heavy Makes You Happy,” “Respect Yourself,” and “If You’re Ready (Come Go With Me),” along with covers like “The Weight.” From Stax they transited to Curtom, Curtis Mayfield’s label, scoring a #1 with “Let’s Do It Again.” The Staple family appeared in the 1976 all-star concert film The Last Waltz to sing “The Weight.” Pops Staples died in 2000; Cleotha, in 2013; Yvonne, in 2018; and Pervis in 2021. Mavis, the last surviving member, is the subject of Mavis!, a 2015 documentary chronicling her solo career.—Michael Dolan 🔔 Subscribe to the Rhino Channel! https://Rhino.lnk.to/YouTubeSubID 💌 Let's keep in touch! Join the Rhino mailing list to be the first to hear about our new music and merch https://Rhino.lnk.to/emailLY Stay connected with RHINO on... Facebook   / rhino   Instagram   / rhino_records   TikTok   / rhinorecords   X   / rhino_records   ********** RHINO is the ultimate destination for timeless music and unforgettable moments in pop culture! Since 1978, Rhino has been the world’s leading pop culture label specializing in curation of music from the ‘60s, ‘70s, '80s and '90s. We upload classic music and videos from our vault every week so be sure to subscribe and ring the bell 🔔 ! If there’s something you want to see or hear, let us know in the comments 🗣️ Visit Rhino.com to shop our vast catalog of vinyl, CDs, boxed sets, and merchandise. We regularly announce exciting new releases. Join our mailing list via the link in our bio so you don’t miss a chance to expand your collection!