Status
Available
Publication
Scribner (2014), Edition: 1st Edition, 320 pages
Description
Recounts the life and achievements of the lead singer of the Staple Singers, revealing how her family fused diverse musical genres to transcend racism and oppression through song, and discussing her collaborations with fellow artists and her impact on civil rights culture.
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User reviews
LibraryThing member seeword
I received this book as a Goodreads First Read giveaway.
As we follow the Staples family from their debut in 1948 at the Holy Trinity Baptist Church to 2011 when Mavis won her first Grammy, we also follow the changing American music scene as the various genres begin to blur and “cross-over”
The book also covers the connections between the Civil Right Movement and music.
author Greg Kot had the cooperation of the Staples family. His writing style is straightforward. He tells about the bumps along the way as well as the amazing successes of the family. He also discusses how their music developed, what they did musically that made their sound unique, and the music around them without getting too technical.
All in all a good read. Recommended for a general audience.
For added pleasure while you read it, go to mavisstaples.com/ and listen to the twenty-one selections on her Jukebox.
As we follow the Staples family from their debut in 1948 at the Holy Trinity Baptist Church to 2011 when Mavis won her first Grammy, we also follow the changing American music scene as the various genres begin to blur and “cross-over”
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becomes a kind of norm.The book also covers the connections between the Civil Right Movement and music.
author Greg Kot had the cooperation of the Staples family. His writing style is straightforward. He tells about the bumps along the way as well as the amazing successes of the family. He also discusses how their music developed, what they did musically that made their sound unique, and the music around them without getting too technical.
All in all a good read. Recommended for a general audience.
For added pleasure while you read it, go to mavisstaples.com/ and listen to the twenty-one selections on her Jukebox.
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LibraryThing member mhgatti
Very well written. Kot tell this amazing family's story without ever fawning or becoming starstruck.
LibraryThing member StephenBarkley
Full disclosure: I didn't buy this book for Mavis' sake. Other than the Jeff Tweedy penned, "You're Not Alone," I knew nothing of the Staples cannon. I bought this book because of the biographer.
Greg Kot's understanding of music is immense. I've discovered a lot of music over the years through his
I'll Take You There was everything I had expected. Kot's encyclopedic knowledge of music is on full display as he traces the evolution of Mavis Staples from her father's early days in the South to the launch of the Staple Singers in Chicago to the later years with Jeff Tweedy.
While music is the main thread of the narrative, Kot dips richly into the history of racial discrimination and the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s.
This biography has inspired me to delve into the music of the Staple Singers. I've learned that songs like "I'll Take You There" and "Let's Do It Again" just scratch the surface of their ability. In Pops staples, I've found the dark tremolo-soaked guitar tone I've always been trying to achieve.
The Staple Singers are an important piece of the history of Gospel music. Kot handles their story with grace.
Greg Kot's understanding of music is immense. I've discovered a lot of music over the years through his
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"Sound Opinions" podcast (co-hosted with Jim DeRogatis). I've also enjoyed his Wilco biography, Learning How to Die and his commentary on the state of the music industry, Ripped.I'll Take You There was everything I had expected. Kot's encyclopedic knowledge of music is on full display as he traces the evolution of Mavis Staples from her father's early days in the South to the launch of the Staple Singers in Chicago to the later years with Jeff Tweedy.
While music is the main thread of the narrative, Kot dips richly into the history of racial discrimination and the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s.
This biography has inspired me to delve into the music of the Staple Singers. I've learned that songs like "I'll Take You There" and "Let's Do It Again" just scratch the surface of their ability. In Pops staples, I've found the dark tremolo-soaked guitar tone I've always been trying to achieve.
The Staple Singers are an important piece of the history of Gospel music. Kot handles their story with grace.
Show Less
LibraryThing member rynk
Pops Staples and his musical family have a fascinating backstory down South that listeners can hear in their "up South" Chicago gospel and Muscle Shoals pop hits. The Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot knows this is the best part of his story and lets it unwind. He also has a rock critic's way of drawing
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attention to what makes a performance distinctive, which sent me back for another listen to Staple Singers' Vee-Jay and Stax dusties. Show Less
Awards
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Adults (Selection — Nonfiction — 2014)
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
9 inches
ISBN
1451647859 / 9781451647853