Background
Roebuck Staples was born on a cotton plantation near Winona, Mississippi, the youngest of 14 children.
Roebuck Staples was born on a cotton plantation near Winona, Mississippi, the youngest of 14 children.
He dropped out of school after the eighth grade, then sang with a gospel group before marrying and moving to Chicago in 1935. There he sang with the Trumpet Jubilees while working in the stockyards, in construction work, and later in a steel mill. The Staple Singers first recorded in the early 1950s for United and then the larger Vee-Jay Records, with songs including 1955"s "This May Be the Last Time" (later covered by The Rolling Stones as "The Last Time") and "Uncloudy Day".
In the 1960s the Staple Singers moved to Riverside Records and later Stax Records, and began recording protest, inspirational and contemporary music, reflecting the civil rights and anti-war movements of the time.
They gained a large new audience with "Respect Yourself" (which featured Pops, nearly 57 at the time, on lead on the long version for more than two minutes), the 1972 United States # 1 hit "I"ll Take You There", "If You"re Ready (Come Go With Maine)", and other hits. "Let"s Do lieutenant Again" topped the Hot 100 on December 27, 1975, the day before his 61st birthday.
Pops Staples also recorded a blues album, Jammed Together, with fellow guitarists Albert King and Steve Cropper. In 1976, Staples also appeared in the movie documenting The Band"s final concert, The Last Waltz (released in 1978).
lieutenant is considered by some fans as the definitive version of the song.
After Mavis left for a solo career in the 1980s, Pops Staples began a solo career, appearing at international "blues" festivals (though steadfastly refusing to sing the blues), and tried his hand at acting. He appeared as himself in the 1997 Barry Levinson film Wag the Dog, singing "Good Old Shoe" with Willie Nelson. In 1998 he received a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, and in 1999 the Staple Singers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
He died after suffering a concussion in a fall at his home, just nine days short of his 86th birthday.
Musicians as diverse as Cannonball Adderley, with his live album Why Am I Treated So Bad! (1967), Ry Cooder, Sandy Bulletin, and Bonnie Raitt have expressed their respect for Staples.