OBIT: Pops Staples' Passing (1914-2000

Subject: OBIT: Pops Staples' Passing...
From: Mountain Dog
Date: 20 Dec 00 - 08:32 AM

Heard a brief news blurb yesterday afternoon to the effect that Pops Staples, patriarch of the gospel/R&B Staples Family, had passed on in his mid-80s. Their hit, "I'll Take You There" came back to me with particularly poignancy when I heard the news.

Fare well, Pops; we'll miss you 'round these parts...

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Subject: RE: Pops Staples' Passing
From: GUEST,Art Thieme
Date: 20 Dec 00 - 02:47 PM

The whole family performed at the fist or second University Of Chicago Folk Festival -- in 1961 or '62. In the early 1970s I was driving a cab for about 6 months in Chicago as gigs were too few. I picked up Pops in my cab one day and took him home from Chicago's "loop". When I recognized him he was really surprised. We had a real nice talk all the way to his house. His electric guitar was the first one to ever grace the stage at the U. of C. Fest. That laid-back electronic vibrato Pops used was truly a big part of their unique sound. (The daughter, Mavis, was a truly fine singer I always thought.)

Art Thieme

Subject: RE: Pops Staples' Passing
From: catspaw49
Date: 20 Dec 00 - 03:14 PM

I was surprised to see coverage of this on my local news. I almost said "pleasantly" surprised.......It was just nice to think that someone we may know is not so obscure to the rest of the world. This isn't coming out right.........I guess I'm just trying to say its good to know his impact and relevance was more broadly noticed.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Pops Staples' Passing
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 20 Dec 00 - 03:26 PM

What a friendly man he was. I can imagine you had a nice chat Art. The Staples used to come to The Riverboat in Toronto, often during the sixties. Roebuck was probably only in his late forties but we thought he was ancient even then! He was very kind to the young folk dorks who loved being around him. First time I ever saw anyone drink scotch and MILK(!) He said it was for his ulcer!

R.I.P Pops.

Oops...another memory. At a Mariposa Grand Finale, they asked Pops to lead the rest of the performers in Amazing Grace. A Scotish piper name of McCloud, joined in and started the song in Bb(!!) Pops tried bravely, but the last second key change messed up his style completely (and that of most of the other performers). It was cacaphony....but we learned a little about bagpipes that evening!

Rick

Subject: RE: Pops Staples' Passing
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 20 Dec 00 - 03:27 PM

What a friendly man he was. I can imagine you had a nice chat Art. The Staples used to come to The Riverboat in Toronto, often during the sixties. Roebuck was probably only in his late forties but we thought he was ancient even then! He was very kind to the young folk dorks who loved being around him. First time I ever saw anyone drink scotch and MILK(!) He said it was for his ulcer!

R.I.P Pops.

Oops...another memory. At a Mariposa Grand Finale, they asked Pops to lead the rest of the performers in Amazing Grace. A Scotish piper name of McCloud, joined in and started the song in Bb(!!) Pops tried bravely, but the last second key change messed up his style completely (and that of most of the other performers). It was cacaphony....but we learned a little about bagpipes that evening!

Rick

Subject: RE: Pops Staples' Passing
From: Uncle Jaque
Date: 23 Dec 00 - 08:13 PM

This from REUTER's News FYI:

Wednesday December 20 7:08 PM ET ''Pops'' Staples, patriarch of Staple Singers, dies

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Roebuck ``Pops'' Staples, patriarch of the Staple Singers whose lyrics on ``Respect Yourself'' and other hits delivered a civil rights message with a danceable soul beat, has died, friends said Wednesday.

Staples, 84, died from natural causes Tuesday at his home near Chicago. The Chicago Tribune reported he suffered a heart attack.

``They took this really positive message music and made it contemporary and popular by putting it with electric guitars and inserting a groove,'' said Sherman Wilmott, who is helping create a museum in Memphis, Tennessee, honoring the musical stars at Stax Records, the Staple Singers' principal label.

Born in Winona, Mississippi, Staples learned to sing acappella and developed his Delta blues electric guitar style.

Starting out as a gospel group in 1948, the Staple Singers with son Pervis and daughters Mavis and Cleotha as singers reached an even wider audience with 1970s soul hits such as ''Respect Yourself'', ``I'll Take You There'' and ``If You're Ready (Come Go With Me)''.

Before achieving stardom, Staples resisted taking his family on tour and held jobs in Chicago's stockyards and steel mills.

Staples came to believe he could contribute in song to the battle for blacks' civil rights being waged by the Rev. Martin Luther King and others, Wilmott said.

``He sang and played guitar. He was extremely well-spoken and calm and intelligent,'' he said.

Another daughter, Yvonne, told the Tribune: ``When Dr. King started preaching, Pops said 'I think we can sing it.' That's what he felt,'' she said. ``He believed that the world could be made a better place for all of us.''

At age 80, Staples won a Grammy Award as a solo artist in 1994 for his album ``Father Father''. He also received a National Heritage Fellowship Award at the White House from first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton (news - web sites). The group entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year.

In a 1998 interview with the Tribune, Staples said his musical education began early.

``We'd come home and didn't have anything to do after we eat but go to bed. So we'd go out in the yard and sing.''

Reuters/Variety REUTERS