Mavis Staples (born July 10, 1939) is a gospel and rhythm and blues singer, actress, and civil rights activist from the United States. She rose to prominence as the sole surviving member of her family’s band, The Staple Singers. She recorded the smash songs “I’ll Take You There” and “Let’s Do It Again” while with the group. Staples released her self-titled debut solo album in 1969.
Throughout the next decades, Staples released solo albums and worked with musicians like as Aretha Franklin, Prince, Arcade Fire, Nona Hendryx, Ry Cooder, and David Byrne. Her eighth studio album, You Are Not Alone (2010), received critical praise and became her first solo album to top a Billboard chart, debuting at number one on the Top Gospel Albums list. It was also Staples’ first Grammy Award triumph. Following that, she released the albums One True Vine (2013), Livin’ on a High Note (2016), If All I Was Was Black (2017), and We Get By (2019); she also appeared on Hozier’s track “Nina Cried Power” in 2013.
