Mavis Staples pays tribute to her father, Roebuck 'Pops' Staples, on hit CD 'Have A Little Faith'

Jet, Nov 22, 2004 by Clarence Waldron

Mavis Staples says she still remembers what her late father, Roebuck "Pops" Staples, taught her about music and living life.

And she shares it all on her new hit CD, Have A Little Faith.

"With this CD I am trying to keep the music of Daddy's group, the Staple Singers going," she tells JET during an interview at her Chicago lakefront condominium.

"I know that Pops would want me to continue to sing, keep going with what he started."

Pops Staples, the patriarch and founder of the world famous family group, the Staple Singers died four years ago at age 85 after a brief illness (JET, Jan. 8, 2001).

The Staple Singers won acclaim as a gospel group in 1950 and later achieved international fame with such '70s soulful, inspirational tunes, as Respect Yourself, I'll Take You There, If You're Ready (Come Go With Me), Heavy Makes You Happy and the soul hit, Let's Do It Again. Mavis and Pops sang lead on the group's biggest hits.

And now, Mavis is winning rave reviews for Have A Little Faith and the tune I Still Believe In You was even used as one of the theme song for the Boston Red Sox who recently won the World Series.

"Have A Little Faith is telling people to have a little faith about the size of a mustard seed and that's all you need.

Everything's going be all right, just have faith." There's so much to enjoy on Have A Little Faith including Will The Circle Be Unbroken, Pops Recipe, At The End Of The Day, God Is Not Sleeping and There's A Devil On The Loose.

"The songs fit each other like a glove. These are the type of songs we sang down through the years-positive songs, informative songs, songs that help people through their lives," Mavis notes.

On Pops Recipe, she shares what her father taught her and her singing siblings, Yvonne, Cleotha and Pervis.

"Pops Recipe is kind of like his autobiography because I am telling where he came from and what he taught all of us. He taught us how to live, how to be, to love your sister and brother, love your neighbor. He would say things like 'there ain't no big I's and little you's. You ain't no better than anybody else and nobody else is better than you are.' He was wise. Anytime he opened his mouth, I would listen. He always said 'pay your tithes, give God his money and your money will double."

She continues, "That's where all those lyrics come from. Be proud of yourself, live in such a way where you can be proud of yourself, you can go to sleep at night with a smile on your face. I never did anything to anyone that I had to be ashamed of because that's not the way I grew up."

One lesson she says she will never forget is the importance of sticking together as a family. "If you stay as a unit, nobody can break you. Daddy would tell us how his father took 14 pencils and put them together and tried to break them. He couldn't break them. Then he took one pencil and snapped it half in two. And what he was teaching us was that's what happens when you stray away from your family. If you stay as a unit, and stay close to one another, nobody can break you. They can't play one against the other."

Today, she and her siblings are as close as ever. Yvonne is her road manager, Pervis is her musical consultant and they all take care of sister Cleotha who now has Alzheimer's and is unable to perform on the road.

Have A Little Faith is Mavis' first CD since 1996's Spirituals & Gospel: A Tribute To Mahalia Jackson. Superstar Prince produced her 1993 album, The Voice. She recalls: "Prince told me: 'Mavis, nobody can sing like you. You're the best singer.' He treated me so well, with such respect."

She continues, "I adopted him. He's like my son. I'm his mom now. He's my child. When I write to him, I sign 'Mom, Mavis.' He sends me Mother's Day cards. He's a sweetheart."

Reflecting on her longevity in the music industry, she thanks her father for his sound advice. "He said, 'Mavis you don't need no gimmicks to sing God's music. You don't need to be hollering and screaming. Be sincere in what you are doing and sing from your heart because what comes from the heart, reaches the heart.'" And I've never forgotten that. That's been the key to my longevity."

She notes, "I have had a wonderful, wonderful life. I couldn't ask for anything more. God has been so good to me. Yes He has. And He still has His arms wrapped around me. I'm joyous inside. I'm bubbly inside. God gave that to me. God made a way for me to be where I am today and to be as happy as I am today."