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Well, you know I’ve always liked Mavis Staples ever since she was a little girl. She’s always been my favorite… She’s always had my favorite voice.
~Bob Dylan (to Jann Wenner, Nov 1969)

The Staple Singers – Respect Yourself (Live 1972 – Wattstax music festival):

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Wikipedia:

Birth name	Mavis Staples
Born	July 10, 1939 (age 75)
Origin	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Genres	Rhythm and blues, soul, gospel
Occupations	Singer
Years active	1950–present
Labels	Epic, Stax/Volt, Curtom, Paisley Park, Alligator, Anti-, Warner Bros.,Verve
Associated acts	The Staple Singers, Prince
Website	www.mavisstaples.com

Mavis Staples  was born July 10, 1939 in Chicago, Illinois she is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress and civil rights activist who recorded with The Staple Singers, her family’s band.

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), Yvonne (b. 1936), and Mavis (b. 1939). 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”.

Biography from Allmusic (Rob Bowman):

She first recorded solo for Stax subsidiary Volt in 1969. Subsequent efforts included a Curtis Mayfield-produced soundtrack on Curtom, a disappointing nod to disco for Warner in 1979, a misguided stab at electro-pop with Holland-Dozier-Holland in 1984, and an uneven album for Paisley Park. Staples has a rich contralto voice that has neither the range of Aretha Franklin nor the power of Patti LaBelle. Her otherworldly power comes instead from a masterful command of phrasing and a deep-seated sensuality expressed through timbre manipulation.

Both the Staple Singers and Mavis found fresh audiences stemming from their participation on the CD Rhythm Country and Blues, and in 1996 she issued Spirituals & Gospel: Dedicated to Mahalia Jackson. Her next recording project didn’t land for another eight years, although Have a Little Faith on Alligator became her highest-profile release in years. We’ll Never Turn Back appeared three years later in 2007.

Staples teamed up with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy as producer for 2010’s You Are Not Alone, which won the 2011 Grammy Award in the category of Best Americana Album. One True Vine, released in 2013, was also produced by Tweedy and featured a mix of old and new songs written by the likes of George Clinton, Alan Sparhawk (Low), and Nick Lowe.

The Weight – The Band with The Staple Singers (from The Last Waltz):

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GREAT album: One True Vine

Full album from youtube:

-Hallgeir & Egil