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| Pops, late 1960's |
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| Pops and daughter Mavis, 1998 |
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The journey of Roebuck 'Pops' Staples began on a humble plantation in Winona, MS. Along the way, he became one of the most eminent and unique voices in American soul, blues, gospel, and folk music.
The youngest of 14 children, Pops would sing with his entire family as they unwound after long days of picking cotton under the steaming Mississippi sun. He learned to play songs on a five-dollar guitar he bought in 50-cent installments, and played with legends such as Charley Patton, Robert Johnson, and Son House.
From his humble origins, he would go on to join Dr. Martin Luther King III in the freedom movement, lead The Staple Singers to six platinum and seven gold records with hits like "Respect Yourself," "I'll Take You There," and "Heavy Makes You Happy," perform for three US Presidents, and win the 1994 GRAMMY Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album, "Father Father." In 1998 he recieved a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. He is a 1999 inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and a 2005 recipient of the GRAMMY Lifetime Acheivement Award.
Even more important than his many awards and chart successes, Pops brought joy and inspiration to the world through his music and love for mankind.
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