Episode 11: Pops Staples Superstar

Roebuck "Pops" Staples, founder of The Staple Singers, is a forgotten master--a singer, songwriter, bandleader and guitarist whose music formed a direct bridge between the likes of Charley Patton and the likes of Bob Dylan. Born in Winona, MS in 1915, Pops was a contemporary of Robert Johnson's; he grew up on the same plantation where Patton lived and performed; he was a pioneer of the electric guitar establishing an instantaneously recognizable, vibrato-laden sound. But Pops not only bridged eras, he also bridged genres, taking as his model Appalachian family groups like the Stonemans, Pops fashioned a sound and repertoire for the The Staple Singers that ran the gamut from gospel to country to rockabilly to Chicago blues and he influenced everyone within earshot. Levon Helm, whose lead vocal style owes much to Pops, famously said that The Band took the Staples' vocal style as their model for multi-part singing. And The Rolling Stones adapted Pops' gospel moan, "This May Be the Last Time," to their own secular purpose for one of their early hits. Today The Staples' secular hits for Stax and Curtom are well remembered--"Let's Do It Again," "I'll Take You There," "Respect Yourself." Less well remembered are the pioneering songs of the 1950s and early 1960s that placed Pops at the forefront of the creation of what Gram Parsons famously called "cosmic American music."

Listen to Down in the Flood Episode 11: Pops Staples Superstar (43.3MB, 47:22 Min)

Comments

[Matt]

Excellent stuff -- thank you very much! I had heard only the Staple Singers gospel work, so this was very enlightening.

In addition to the judiciousness of your musical choices, your narration is just excellent -- more than comparable to Nick Spitzer's NPR shows.

I very much hope that someone out there gives you a platform to broadcast this music, and your thoughts on it, to as wide an audience as possible.

[lou]

terrific show. BUt I cannot find the links for the show. the Staples version of I Shall Not be Moved sounds like Ry Cooder on guitar. Who is it?

[Jason Chervokas]

Lou, great ears. That IS Ry Cooder.

By links do you mean to a playlist? I've avoided posting playlists because the current state of the law on downloadable shows, even those w/ goals of criticism and education, discourages any kind of list that would allow listeners to know what music is available where on the downloadable file. Go figure. I imagine links would have lead people to the music. I DO link the the source LPs whenever possible on the web site sidebar.

[AttaligugFulk]

People will buy anything that's one to a customer.

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