THE STAPLE SINGERS

Roebuck "Pops" Staples learned to play blues guitar as a child in the Mississippi Delta in the 1920s. After he and his wife moved to Chicago in the mid-'30s, raising three daughters and one son, he formed a family gospel group. Powered by Pops' masterful guitar and daughter Mavis' soulful voice, the group earned a strong reputation in the 1950s gospel community. When they added secular music to their repertoire in the early '70s, they scored a number of pop hits with empowering messages like "Respect Yourself" - never forsaking the trademark gospel fervor displayed on sacred tracks like "Sit Down Servant." The Staple Singers demonstrated gospel's sonic influence on rock & roll, proving that its messages could infiltrate the pop charts.

Courtesy of palmpictures.com

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