Interview outtakes: Mavis Staples

During my interview with gospel singer Mavis Staples (see the TOC Q&A), the song “I’ll Take You There” came up twice. The singer explained that when her family’s gospel group, the Staple Singers, first sang the tune in 1972, it crossed over to the pop charts. “The church said, ‘The Staple Singers are singing the devil’s music,’” Staples recalled. “We were singing our message song: ‘I know a place ain’t nobody crying, ain’t nobody worried, ain’t no smiling faces lying to the races.’ Where else could we be taking you but to heaven? And I told the people, ‘You have to listen to our lyrics. Listen to what we’re saying.’ They just automatically [said]: ‘The Staple Singers are singing the devil’s music.’ And I told them, the devil ain’t got no music!”

The other time the song came up, we skipped forward 35 years. We were talking about historical trajectory: The Staple Singers used to open for Martin Luther King Jr.; and in the last presidential election, Barack Obama's campaign used “I’ll Take You There.” “That was amazing,” Staples said. “We have been there, done all the marches, and we’re still here, and here is Obama, Mister Obama, a black president, and I just feel, you know, I just feel so blessed. We’ve been singing ‘Freedom Highway’ and ‘Why Am I Treated So Bad.’ And it’s just the best feeling in the world.”

Interview: Mavis Staples

Photos, live review: Mavis Staples at Lollapalooza

Kelly Hogan on recording with Mavis Staples