Tramshed, Cardiff
Fri 7 July
Words like legend are banded around all too frequently but in the case of Mavis Staples they hold true. Even the often used moniker ‘the queen of blues’ doesn’t really do justice to her musical status: she is living, breathing history. During her 60-plus years of making music – as a member of vocal family band The Staple Singers, she turned professional in 1952, barely into her teens – Staples has trailblazed genres, weaving her way into the very fabric of gospel, soul, blues, funk, R&B, folk, rock and hip-hop. She’s also an actress, appearing in many films and TV shows, and in 2015 was the subject of Mavis!, an HBO documentary about her life and work. If you haven’t seen it already seek it out, if for no other reason than to hear the greatest love story never told between her and Bob Dylan.
Mavis is, furthermore, an icon of the civil rights movement; in the 1960s The Staple Singers, the band that included her siblings and father, became an unofficial voice of the movement. Their songs, already hugely popular in the African-American community, became a vehicle to share messages of fairness and equality. Moving into the 70s, The Staple singers led the soul power movement, with hits like I’ll Take You There selling millions, while the following decade Prince enticed her out of semi-retirement – penning two albums for her, 1989’s Time Waits For No-One and 1993’s The Voice.
Fast forward to the 21st century and Mavis’ musical prowess has earned her a whole heap of new fans. Her 2010 album You Are Not Alone, produced by Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, won a Grammy for Best Americana Album. Her latest full-length, last year’s Living On A High Note, is a joyful record boasting songwriting credits from Nick Cave, Neko Case and many other greats. Mavis Staples is still performing at 76 with as much energy as ever; her voice is as soulful, deep and strong as it’s always been and her messages of love and equality, peace and happiness are loud, clear and very necessary.
Tickets: £35. Info: 029 2023 5555
words GRACE TODD