Mavis Staples Songs of Praise

I have a date with a living legend -

a lady who's sung with all the greats.

She's even marched with Martin Luther King - she is Mavis Staples.

Together with her family, The Staples Singers, she sang

some of the most distinctive songs of the '60s and '70s.

The good news is she's still going strong.

Mavis has one of the best voices around -

but don't just take my word for it!

Mavis Staples is quite simple one of the greatest singers of all time.

When she sings a song, the song become alive.

I love to hear Mavis sing.

In a special Songs Of Praise, Mavis talks to me about her

remarkable life - including her time with Dr King.

There's some uplifting gospel hymns.

More from Jools Holland and we find out why at 72,

Mavis just keeps on touring.

Welcome to North London and a building that used to be a church before it was converted

into a high-tech recording studio by Sir George Martin.

Great music has been made here over the years,

and today will be no exception.

I'm with a congregation eager to meet the legend that is -

Mavis Staples!

APPLAUSE DROWNS WORDS

Thank you so much.

Mavis Staples!

Thank you.

-Mavis, I guess they love you!

-I think they do.

-What an honour to have you on the show.

-Sounds like it.

It's a wonderful pleasure to be here.

How do you feel being called a legend?

I feel good about it!

I guess I've earned it.

-You most certainly have.

-I have. I've been around a while.

-You've enjoyed every moment, though?

-They weren't even born!

You know. I've enjoyed every moment. And I'm not tired yet.

-I'm not finished yet. I've got a ways to go.

-I'm really glad you said that!

There's so much to talk about but I think we should get into the heart of the music, if you like.

-OK.

-What are you going to perform first?

I'm going to perform I'm Going To Lay Down My Burden.

-Fantastic.

-Down by the riverside.

-The stage is yours.

-Thank you. Thank you.

No more!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-Thank you, Al.

-Come and sit down.

Thank you.

Thank you.

How amazing was that? I was thinking whilst I was watching it,

it takes you to make Air Studios back into a church.

LAUGHTER

It is just a wonderful feeling.

Do you hear those voices? They sound like angels.

They take their energy from you and you've got so much of it.

The world got to know of the Staple Singers through Respect Yourself and I'll Take You There.

-Yes.

-But you guys have been singing, as a family, for so many years.

Oh, my god, we've been singing now since 1950, 61 years.

Goodness me.

APPLAUSE

And I'm not tired yet.

It's obvious you're not tired.

Yeah, we're ready to go on and on.

My father started us singing...

I was like about eight years old.

Pops used to sing with an all-male group.

The Trumpet Jubilees, six guys...

And, these men wouldn't come to rehearsal.

Pops would go to rehearsal, there might be two there.

He'd come home disgusted.

He'd go to next week, there may be three.

He came home that last time and he went straight to the closet,

pulled out a little guitar, he had bought at the pawn shop,

and he called us children into the living room.

Sat us on the floor in a circle

and began giving us voices to sing

that he and his brothers and sisters would sing down in Mississippi.

One sister lived with us, Aunt Katie.

Aunt Katie came through one night and she said,

"Shucks, you all sound pretty good."

LAUGHTER

I believe I went on to sing in my church.

And, Lord, we were so glad we were going to sing some place else,

other than on the living room floor.

What was the first song you learnt?

-The very first song, Will The Circle Be Unbroken.

-How does that go?

# Will the circle be unbroken

# By and by, Lord,

# By and by... #

Yeah!

# There's a better home awaiting

# In the sky, lord,

# In the sky #

Whoo...

APPLAUSE

Yeah!

Yes, indeed.

-You're called God's greatest hit makers.

-Yes.

You know, we made a song back in the '50s, Uncloudy Day.

And, lo and behold, it was the very first gospel record

to sell a million.

We moved on, like you say, Respect Yourself, I'll Take You There,

some of the church people,

"The Staple singers, they're singing the Devil's music."

You know... I would tell the people, "The Devil ain't got no music."

All music is God's music. You know?

APPLAUSE

The Devil ain't got no music.

-Listen, I can hardly contain myself. Please sing again.

-Yes, I will.

-What are you going to sing?

-I'm going to sing Wonderful Saviour.

-Fantastic.

-Oh, what a wonderful Saviour!

-Make your way to the stage.

-Thank you, Aled. All righty.

Tell you what, it doesn't get much better than this, does it?

Mavis Staples and Wonderful Saviour.

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

# I have found a wonderful Saviour Who is freely

# Blessing me forever, I am His

# I am His

-# And He is mine

-# He is mine

# Lord He's forever walking beside me

# He's my redeemer He never deny me, I am His

# I am His

-# And He is mine

-# He is mine

-# Yes, Jesus is mine

-# Jesus is mine

-# I know it's true

-# I know it's true

# I'm holding His hand on my to heaven

# On my to heaven

# Lord, I have found a wonderful Saviour

# Who is freely blessing me forever I am His

# I am His

-# And He is mine

-# He is mine

# Oh, Lord My burden is now behind me

# Never no temptation to find me

-# I am His

-# I am His

# And He is mine, hallelujah He is ever walking beside me

# Trust He'll never, never deny me

-# I am His

-# I am His

-# And He is mine

-# He is mine

-# Yes, Jesus is mine

-# Yes, Jesus is mine

-# And I know it's true

-# I know it's true

-# I'm holding His hand

-# I'm holding His hand

-# On my way to heaven

-# On my way to heaven

# Lord, I have found a wonderful Saviour

# Who is freely blessing me forever

-# I am His

-# I am His

-# And He is mine

-# He is mine

# I shall follow Jesus to glory

# Even holler his wonderful story

-# I am His

-# I am His

-# And He is mine

-# He is mine

-# Yes, Jesus is mine

-# Yes, Jesus is mine

-# And I know it's true

-# I know it's true

-# I'm holding His hand

-# I'm just holding His hand

-# On my way to heaven

-# On my way to heaven

# Lord, I have found a wonderful Saviour

# Who is freely blessing me forever

-# I am His

-# I am His

-# And He is mine

-# He is mine

-# I am His

-# I am His

-# And He is mine

-# He is mine

-# I am His

-# I am His

# And He is mine-e-e-e. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

# I know a place... #

Mavis Staples has made a big impact, both inside and outside America.

For one of our leading soul and gospel singers, Beverley Knight,

Mavis is a major influence.

'I think the first time I ever recall'

hearing the voice of Mavis Staples was on the seminal anthem,

I'll Take You There.

Hearing that song, hearing that voice and the earnestness behind it,

just went inside and it never left me.

I think anybody who has ever sung

a gospel song, particularly the more traditional gospel songs

or spiritual anthems, has nicked a little bit from Mavis Staples

and her approach.

It's so earnest the way she sings, you have no doubt that she is

delivering a message, but more importantly,

it's a message that she believes, wholeheartedly.

And that is the essence of gospel music.

The first time I worked with Mavis was

I was doing a TV show in New York.

And one of the great things about her was her vibration was one

of such generosity of spirit that the music came together.

It's very important in music for people

for the music they make and the way they play it to be an extension

of their personalities and that's what happens with Mavis.

And her generosity and kindness of spirit makes all the music

all the better because of the way that she is.

One of the great qualities of her voice is that,

whatever she sings, it connects the song to the listener

and that's the important thing that all the great singers -

whether it was Frank Sinatra or Caruso,

whether it was Bessie Smith or Mahalia Jackson -

when they sing...when they sing the song, the words and the poetry

of the song go like an arrow into your heart.

And that's the point of a great singer and that is really what

Mavis Staples has.

I think she's singing from a relationship she has with God,

the knowledge that she is a child of God,

also the awareness or the gratitude

that God has given her this wonderful gift, erm,

to be able to sing.

And not just sing, but sing in a manner that will get an audience

believing her and that her relationship with God is what

underpins everything that one is seeing and hearing.

# Lo-oo-oo-sing, anything... #

She's so crucial. She is so important and deserves her place among

the gospel greats.

I don't know about you, but Mavis has definitely inspired me to sing,

so let's have a congregational offering.

This is a traditional hymn, but it's been given a gospel twist.

Of course it has! This is What A Friend We Have In Jesus.

-All right.

-All right, indeed.

Mavis, your family has a fantastic link with history.

You were the musical voice of the Civil Rights Movement.

Erm, it's a big statement. How did it come about?

Ah, you know, one Sunday, we happened to be in Montgomery, Alabama.

We didn't have to work until that night,

so Pops, he had been listening to Dr King on the radio.

He called my sisters and I to his room and he said,

"Listen, y'all, this man Martin is here - Martin Luther King."

He said, "I've been listening to him on the radio and I like his message.

"He has a church here. Do you all want to go?

"I want to go to the eleven o'clock service, do you all want to go?"

We said, "Yeah, Pops, we want to go."

We all got in the car and went down to Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

We were ushered in, seated, someone that Dr King knew

that we were in the service and he acknowledged us.

He said, "We're glad to have Pops Staples

"and his daughters here this morning."

And, after the service,

he was standing at the door to shake the worshippers' hands

as they filed out. And my sisters and I,

we walked past, shook Dr King's hand, and when Pops' turn came,

he stood there and talked to him for a while.

He finally came on, we get back to the hotel

and Pops called us to his room again.

He said, "Listen, y'all,

"I really like this man, I like his message.

"And I think that if he can preach it, we can sing it."

So we began writing freedom songs. We joined the mood.

The first song was March Up Freedom's Highway

and then we wrote

It's A Long Walk To DC, But I Got My Walking Shoes On.

LAUGHTER

What did you think of Martin Luther King?

You know, I loved his laughter.

I loved to hear him laugh - you know, loud and jovial -

because most of the time when I looked at him, he looked so sad

-and he looked serious, you know.

-Is it true that

you were dating a white man and were worried about what Dr King thought?

Yeah, you know, like I said, Aled, I was a young...I was very young

and stupid.

LAUGHTER

I told Pops, I said, "Daddy, you know, how do you think Dr King

"would feel about me marrying a white man?"

He said, "Mavis, all white people aren't bad, girl.

"Haven't you seen all those white people marching with us?"

And I said, "Oh, Lord!" I had turned down the proposal.

I couldn't go back and say, "Hey, propose to me again."

You... You couldn't really, because he was quite

-a well-known singer-songwriter?

-Yes, he was, he was.

-And we are still friends.

-We're talking about Bob Dylan, aren't we?

We're talking about Bob Dylan, yes. You had to tell it, didn't you?!

I had to, sorry!

-You weren't going to!

-I wasn't!

Do you regret not marrying him?

You know, sometimes I wonder, if we would have had some Staples-Dylan,

our own little group.

Great hits!

That would have been awesome.

So, what are you going to sing for us next?

-We're going to sing for you Creep Along, Moses.

-Fantastic. Can't wait.

-You make your way to the microphone.

-I will.

-Not that you need one!

-Thank you, Aled.

-Thank you, my love.

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

# Get along, Pharaoh

# Get lost, get lost

# Get lost

# Get along, Pharaoh

# Get lost, yeah

# Trying to cross the Red Sea

# Old Satan, he wears it on like you

# Trying to cross the Red Sea

# If you don't mind he'll slip it on you

# Trying to cross the Red Sea

# I wonder what the Devil keeps a grumblin' about

# Trying to cross the Red Sea

# He's down in hell and he can't get out

# Trying to cross the Red Sea

# Now, creep along, Moses Moses, creep along

# Creep along, Moses

# Creep along, Moses Moses, creep along

-# Creep along, Moses

-I'm going home

# Creep, creep, creep along, Moses Creep along, Moses

-# Creep along

-# Moses, Moses, creep along

-# Creep along, Moses

-# I'm going home

# Get along, Pharaoh

# Get lost, yeah

# Trying to cross the Red Sea

# Went down in the valley to say a little prayer

# Trying to cross the Red Sea

# And when I got there old Satan was there

# Trying to cross the Red Sea

# I fell down upon my knees

# Trying to cross the Red Sea

# I cried, "Lord, have mercy, if You please!

# Trying to cross the Red Sea

# Now, creep along, Moses Moses, creep along

# Creep along, Moses, I've been gone

# Creep along, Moses Moses, creep along

# Creep along, Moses, I'm going home

# Creep, creep, creep along, Moses Creep along, Moses, I've been gone

# Creep, creep, creep along, Moses Creep along, Moses, I'm going home

# Get along, Pharaoh

# Get lost, get lost, get lost

# Get along, Pharaoh

# Get lost, yeah!

# Trying to cross the Red Sea

# Trying to cross the Red Sea

# Trying to cross the Red Sea

# Oh, yeah!

# Trying to cross the Red Sea

# Trying to cross the Red Sea. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

What a performance, I tell you.

I wouldn't like to be the congregation,

because it's your turn now. But we have chosen a fantastic hymn

for us all to sing. This is Crown Him With Many Crowns.

CHEERING

This is Greenbelt, a Christian arts festival,

held every August at Cheltenham Racecourse.

We're a festival which celebrates music and all kinds of art

from our perspective as Christians.

Tonight, Mavis is the headline act, but just why is she still touring,

performing festivals rather than enjoying a comfortable retirement?

I'd sing on the steps of the White House,

I'd sing at a field in the middle of England, I'd sing in the desert.

As long as I have my voice, I'll sing.

So, ladies and gentlemen, we're wrapping up Greenbelt 2011

with the Grammy-winning gospel legend that is Mavis Staples!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

# You are not alone

# I'm with you

# I'm lonely, too... #

'When I look out in the audience and see the people smiling

'and some tearing, it's what I feel that God put me here to do.

'And that's what I live for.'

# Isolated and afraid... #

'My voice is my gift from God'

and I feel that He put me here, he gifted me

'to sing His praises.

'Everybody, welcome aboard!'

It's the Mavis and Jesus Express.

SHE GIGGLES

Tonight, there are a few thousand people happy to board that train.

-# Take a load of Annie

-Take a load

-# Take a load for free

-Take a load

-# Take a load of Annie

-Yeah!

# And, and, and put the load right on me

# Put the load on me, oh, yeah! Oh, yeah! #

CHEERING

Oh, Mavis, it's been brilliant.

You are such an inspiration. Isn't she, ladies and gentlemen?

ALL: Yes!

-Thank you, thank you.

-Here's an idea, will you come on every week?

Oh, yes, I'd come back ANY day.

-You heard it here first.

-I've enjoyed myself so much.

I'm glad. We've got quite a few witnesses here.

At the beginning, you said you're not giving up soon. Promise?

I promise. No way. You're going to have to take a shovel and scrape me

-up off the stage.

-It's been lovely spending time with you.

-Thank you, my darling.

-We're going to end with a song,

like Mavis, has stood the test of time and crossed many barriers.

It's been a protest song, it's been a rugby song,

it's been a pop song. It's also a rather nice hymn.

It's Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.

From all of us here, Mavis included, at Air Studios,

until next time, goodbye.

Next week, it's Palm Sunday.

Sally presents traditional hymns

from All Saints' Church, Cheltenham,

with performances of seasonal music

from Libra, Mary Jess and Only Men Aloud,

and bible readings for Holy Week from Julian Rhind-Tutt.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

Email [email protected]