"A biography that will send readers back to the music of Mavis and the
Staple Singers with deepened appreciation and a renewed spirit of
discovery" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)--from the acclaimed music
journalist and author featured prominently in the new HBO documentary
Mavis!
This is the untold story of living legend Mavis Staples--lead singer of
the Staple Singers and a major figure in the music that shaped the civil
rights era. One of the most enduring artists of popular music, Mavis and
her talented family fused gospel, soul, folk, and rock to transcend
racism and oppression through song. Honing her prodigious talent on the
Southern gospel circuit of the 1950s, Mavis and the Staple Singers went
on to sell more than 30 million records, with message-oriented soul
music that became a soundtrack to the civil rights movement--inspiring
Martin Luther King, Jr. himself.
Critically acclaimed biographer and Chicago Tribune music critic Greg
Kot cuts to the heart of Mavis Staples's music, revealing the intimate
stories of her sixty-year career. From her love affair with Bob Dylan,
to her creative collaborations with Prince, to her recent revival
alongside Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, this definitive account shows Mavis as
you've never seen her before. I'll Take You There was written with the
complete cooperation of Mavis and her family. Readers will also hear
from Prince, Bonnie Raitt, David Byrne, and many others whose lives have
been influenced by Mavis's talent.
Filled with never-before-told stories, this fascinating biography
illuminates a legendary singer and group during a historic period of
change in America. "Ultimately, Kot depicts the endurance of Mavis
Staples and her family's music as an inspiration, a saga that takes us,
like the song that inspired this book's name, to a place where ain't
nobody crying" (The Washington Post).
