I'll Take You There: Mavis Staples, the Staple Singers, and the Music That Shaped the Civil Rights Era

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 Stapleslead 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 movementinspiring Martin Luther King, Jr. himself.

Critically acclaimed biographer and Chicago Tribune music critic Greg Kot cuts to the heart of Mavis Stapless 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 Wilcos Jeff Tweedy, this definitive account shows Mavis as youve never seen her before. Ill 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 Maviss 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 familys music as an inspiration, a saga that takes us, like the song that inspired this books name, to a place where aint nobody crying (The Washington Post).