Pops Staples

Pops Staples (actually Roebuck Staples ; born December 2, 1914 in Winona , Mississippi , † December 19, 2000 in Chicago , Illinois ) was an American gospel and R&B musician. He was the founder, leader and member of the singing group The Staple Singers , which also included his son Pervis and daughters Mavis , Yvonne and Cleotha. He played guitar, sang and composed.

Career

Staples, born in the US state of Mississippi, was a close friend of Charley Patton . He played with blues greats such as Robert Johnson , Son House and Robert Lockwood Jr. The accomplished blues guitarist turned increasingly to church music in the 1930s and in 1937 became a member of the gospel group The Golden Trumpets .

In 1941 Staples moved to Chicago, where he joined the Trumpet Jubilees . He performed regularly at church services with his daughters Mavis and Cleotha and his son Pervis. After all, they also gave stage concerts under the name The Staple Singers .

Originally a gospel group, the Staple Singers had their first commercial success with soul pieces in the late 1960s . Early 1970 they had with the radio -Titel I'll Take You There a hit. Perhaps her best known number was Let's Do It Again .

In 1992 Staples released the solo album Peace to the Neighborhood , with which he returned to his blues and gospel roots. His 1994 album Father Father won a Grammy for best contemporary blues album. Staples also starred in a number of films, including Wag the Dog in 1998 .

Pops Staples died in December 2000 at the age of 85. The recordings for a farewell album by the Staple Singers, which could not be completed due to his death, were completed in 2014 on the initiative of his youngest daughter Mavis with the help of producer Jeff Tweedy and were released on CD and LP under the title Don't Lose This .

Web links

• Works by and about Pops Staples in the catalog of the German National Library
• Biography at Allmusic Guide (engl.)
• Roebuck 'Pops' Staples in the Internet Movie Database (English)