Biography
Mavis Staples is an American singer and actress. Born in Chicago, she joined her family's gospel group the Staple Singers as a teenager and became its lead vocalist. The group transitioned to soul and R&B in the late 1960s and achieved major hits in the 1970s.
Staples has appeared in films including The Klansman (1974) and Graffiti Bridge (1990), in which she played Melody Cool. She is featured in archive footage as a performer in the documentary Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021). She has also worked as a solo artist and collaborated with Prince.
The Staple Singers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999. Staples received further recognition with induction into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2017.
