Mavis Staples Played 10-Song Set On Her Birthday in 2012

Today, July 10th, we celebrate the 82nd birthday of one of the greatest singers in R&B and gospel - Mavis Staples.

Mavis rose to fame with her popular family band The Staples Singers, led by her father Pops Staples and accompanied by her sisters. Pops was a close friend of Martin Luther King Jr. and The Staples Singers became spiritual voices of the 1960s civil rights movement. They would often cover songs with inspirational messages by the likes of Bob Dylan, Stephen Stills, among others.

They helped bring the movement to life with "message" songs such as "Long Walk to D.C." and "When Will We Be Paid." To this day, Mavis' messaging is a beacon of hope, especially during a time when Black Lives Matter needs to be instilled into society more than ever.

To celebrate our queen's birthday, we're looking back at one of her solo shows from 2012 when she performed on her birthday at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Mavis performed a 10 song set that opened up with a cover of "Keep Your Eyes on the Prize" by Len Chandler. Four songs in, everyone sang "Happy Birthday to Mavis" before Andrew Bird joined her to sing "The Weight" by The Band.

She performed two Staple Singers songs - "Freedom Highway" and closing song, "I'll Take You There." Check out the full setlist below:

Mavis Staples

Mavis will be performing a virtual concert for the 2020 Newport Folk Festival Revival Weekend. The legendary fest was suppose to take place back in April but had to be canceled due to COVID. From July 31 - August 2 tune in to watch a combination of pre-recorded music performances, Newport Folk Revival Radio, audio archives, and the screening of an original film, featuring Mavis, Phoebe Bridgers, Jason Isbell and more.

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