I became aware of Mavis Staples a few years back when she and her sister Yvonne performed at a local Jazz festival. To me at the time she was 'just another Gospel singer', yet she did squeeze her way into my memory bank. The film MAVIS! Told a lot about her attitude and the path she took to become one of the most admired non-stars in the U.S.A. Part of a musical family from Chicago, she was the lead singer but was so shy off-stage that she didn't want to leave her family and strike out on her own. Her dad, the group leader and a thoughtful and conscientious man, became good friends with Martin Luther King and their association with him and his attitudes could be seen in the lyrics of their songs. Now 76, she still sings joyfully about love and life.
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