Mavis Staples Comes To Massey Hall W/ James Hunter 3/21

Recently named in the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time" list by Rolling Stone magazine, soul and gospel legend Mavis Staples possesses one of the most recognizable and treasured voices in contemporary music. From her early days sharing lead vocals with her groundbreaking family group, The Staple Singers, to her powerful solo recordings, Mavis Staples is an inspirational force in modern popular culture and music. Her last appearance at Massey Hall was with the Blind Boys of Alabama in December of 2004. This concert marks the debut of James Hunter.

A 40-year-plus veteran of the music scene - a Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee and one of VH1's '100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll' - Staples (both with The Staple Singers and on her own) is responsible for blazing a rhythm & blues trail while never relinquishing her gospel roots. Her voice has influenced artists from Bob Dylan to Prince (who dubbed her "the epitome of soul") and she has appeared with everyone from the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to Bill Cosby, Presidents Kennedy, Carter, and Clinton, to Janis Joplin, Pink Floyd, Santana and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and has recorded with Bob Dylan, Los Lobos, Aretha Franklin, Marty Stuart and many others.

Mavis began her career with her family group in 1950. Initially singing locally at churches and appearing on a weekly radio show, the Staples' scored a hit in 1956 with "Uncloudy Day" for the VeeJay label. The Staples evolved from enormously popular gospel singers to become the most spectacular and influential spiritually-based group in US. By the mid-1960's The Staple Singers became the spiritual and musical voices of the civil rights movement. They covered contemporary pop hits with positive messages, including Bob Dylan's "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall" and a version of Stephen Stills' "For What It's Worth." Mavis Staples recorded her first solo album, Mavis Staples for the famed Stax label in 1969. After another Stax release, Only For the Lonely, in 1970, she released a soundtrack album, A Piece of the Action, on Curtis Mayfield's Curtom label. A 1984 album (also self-titled) preceded two albums under the direction of rock megastar Prince; 1989's Time Waits For No One, followed by 1993's The Voice, which People magazine named to its Top Ten Albums of 1993. Her most recent release, 1996's Spirituals & Gospels: A Tribute to Mahalia Jackson recorded with keyboardist Lucky Peterson, is a moving song cycle honoring Jackson, a very close family friend and a huge influence on Mavis' life.

During her career Staples has appeared in many films and television shows, including The Last Waltz, Graffiti Bridge, Wattstax, New York Undercover, Soul Train, Soul to Soul and The Cosby Show. Her voice has been sampled by some of the biggest selling hip-hop artists, including Salt 'N' Pepa, Ice Cube and Ludacris. Mavis has recorded with a wide variety of musicians, from her close friend Bob Dylan (with whom she as nominated for a 2003 Grammy Award in the "Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals" category for their duet on "Gotta Change My Way Of Thinking" from the album Gotta Serve Somebody: The Gospel Songs of Bob Dylan) to The Band, Ray Charles, Nona Hendryx, George Jones, Natalie Merchant, Ann Peebles, Delbert McClinton and many others. She has provided vocals on current albums by Los Lobos and Dr. John, and she appears on recent tribute albums to Johnny Paycheck, Stephen Foster and Bob Dylan.

For information on James Hunter, please visit www.jameshuntermusic.com.

MAVIS STAPLES with James Hunter
Saturday, March 21, 2009 at 8 pm / Massey Hall
178 Victoria Street, Toronto
Tickets $69.50 - $49.50 - Call 416-872-4255 or visit the Roy Thomson Hall Box Office

www.masseyhall.com

 

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