The Staple Singers

The Staple Singers.
The Staple Singers with Soul Train host Don Cornelius in 1974.
Background information
Origin	Chicago, Illinois, United States
Genres	Soul, Blues, R&B, Gospel Music, pop
Years active	1948–1994
Labels	United Records, Vee-Jay Records, Checker Records, Riverside Records, Stax Records, Epic Records, Columbia Records, Discos CBS, CBS Records, American Recording Company, Curtom Records, United Artists Records WEA, Warner Bros., Atlantic Records, Sony Music Records.
Associated acts	Curtis Mayfield, Steve Cropper, Booker T & the MG's, The Ross Singers
Past members	Roebuck "Pops" Staples, Cleotha Staples, Mavis Staples, Pervis Staples, Yvonne Staples

The Staple Singers were an American gospel, soul and R&B singing group. Roebuck "Pops" Staples (1914–2000), the patriarch of the family, formed the group with his children Cleotha (1934–2013), Pervis (b. 1935), and Mavis (b. 1939). Yvonne (b. 1936) replaced her brother when he was drafted into the U.S. Army, and again in 1970. They are best known for their 1970s hits "Respect Yourself", "I'll Take You There", "If You're Ready (Come Go with Me)", and "Let's Do It Again", which with one exception ("I'll Take You There") peaked on the Hot 100 within a week from Christmas Day.

While the family surname is "Staples", the group used the singular form for its name, "The Staple Singers".

Roebuck moved from Mississippi to Chicago after his marriage, and worked in steel mills and meat packing plants while his family of four children grew up. The family began appearing in Chicago-area churches in 1948. Their first public singing appearance was at the Mount Zion Church, Chicago, where Roebuck's brother, the Rev. Chester Staples, was pastor. They signed their first professional contract in 1952. During their early career they recorded in an acoustic gospel-folk style with various labels: United Records, Vee-Jay Records (their "Uncloudy Day" and "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" were best sellers), Checker Records, Riverside Records, and then Epic Records in 1965. "Uncloudy Day" was an early influence on Bob Dylan, who said of it in 2015, "It was the most mysterious thing I'd ever heard... I'd think about them even at my school desk...Mavis looked to be about the same age as me in her picture (on the cover of "Uncloudy Day")...Her singing just knocked me out...And Mavis was a great singer—deep and mysterious. And even at the young age, I felt that life itself was a mystery."