While other performers clearly made a successful transition from gospel to pop and R&B – think Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin – The Staple Singers earned a special place in the pantheon of music by being the first family group to do so. It wasn’t an automatic transition: after some moderate success with early recordings for Vee-Jay and Riverside, the group’s mid-’60s pacting with Epic Records was a promising move. Even though Pops, daughters Mavis and Cleotha and son Pervis did make a little headway towards gaining mainstream acceptance at the label via “Why (Am I Treated So Bad)?” (a 1967 hit for The Sweet Inspirations) and a memorable cover of Stephen Stills’ “For What It’s Worth” for Epic, it was the family’s move to Stax Records in 1968 that propelled them to international recognition.

It was a slow build. The group’s first two albums – “We’ll Get Over” and “Soul Folk In Action” - were produced by Steve Cropper and featured Booker T. and his fellow MGs. Focusing on social messages, the albums didn’t have much commercial impact in spite of some fine performances such as “Long Walk To DC,” “When Will We Be Paid,” “Give A Damn” and versions of Elvis Presley’s “The Ghetto” and The Band’s “The Weight.” When Stax president Al Bell began producing the Staples in 1970 – after Pervis left, replaced by sister Yvonne – the family fortunes began to change. A cover of Bobby Bloom’s “Heavy Makes You Happy” did well but with 1971’s now-classic “Respect Yourself,” the dam burst: The Staple Singers became bonafide pop and soul chartmakers of the first order. 1972’s “I’ll Take You There” sealed the deal, establishing the group as the ‘First Family Of Gospel’ in the contemporary music field.

The 2006 “Stax Profiles” includes all group’s charted singles for the label - “If You’re Ready, Come Go With Me,” “You’ve Got To Earn It,” “Oh La De Da,” “City In The Sky” and “Touch A Hand, Make A Friend” - along with a couple of strong album cuts such as the Homer Banks-Al Jackson composition, “Are You Sure” and a Memphis workout of Sly Stone’s “Everyday People.” Not necessarily a definitive collection of the group’s work, the CD is a fine introduction - if one is needed - to this pioneering family unit’s musical legacy.

David Nathan
a/k/a “The British Ambassador Of Soul”
Owner, www.soulmusic.com, www.soulmusicstore.com, www.soulmusicglobal.com
Secretary, The Rhythm & Blues Foundation (www.rhythmnblues.org)

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