Overview
“A biography that will send readers back to the music of Mavis and the Staple Singers with deepened appreciation and a renewed spirit of discovery” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)—from the acclaimed music journalist and author featured prominently in the new HBO documentary Mavis! This is the untold story of living legend Mavis Staples—lead singer of the Staple Singers and a major figure in the music that shaped the civil rights era. One of the most enduring artists of popular music, Mavis and her talented family fused gospel, soul, folk, and rock to transcend racism and oppression through song. Honing her prodigious talent on the Southern gospel circuit of the 1950s, Mavis and the Staple Singers went on to sell more than 30 million records, with message-oriented soul music that became a soundtrack to the civil rights movement—inspiring Martin Luther King, Jr. himself. Critically acclaimed biographer and Chicago Tribune music critic Greg Kot cuts to the heart of Mavis Staples’s music, revealing the intimate stories of her sixty-year career. From her love affair with Bob Dylan, to her creative collaborations with Prince, to her recent revival alongside Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, this definitive account shows Mavis as you’ve never seen her before. I’ll Take You There was written with the complete cooperation of Mavis and her family. Readers will also hear from Prince, Bonnie Raitt, David Byrne, and many others whose lives have been influenced by Mavis’s talent. Filled with never-before-told stories, this fascinating biography illuminates a legendary singer and group during a historic period of change in America. “Ultimately, Kot depicts the endurance of Mavis Staples and her family’s music as an inspiration, a saga that takes us, like the song that inspired this book’s name, to a place where ain’t nobody crying” (The Washington Post).
Full Product Details
Author: Greg Kot
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Imprint: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Dimensions:
Width: 14.60cm
, Height: 2.50cm
, Length: 22.20cm
Weight: 0.302kg
ISBN: 9781451647860
ISBN 10: 1451647867
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 04 November 2014
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Reviews
Emotional honesty resonates throughout I'll Take You There . Kot provides an unflinching look into the Stapleses' struggles to maintain their spiritual and artistic integrity... I'll Take You There is a biography that's well worth the heavenly journey. --NPR
Emotional honesty resonates throughout <i>I'll Take You There</i>. Kot provides an unflinching look into the Stapleses' struggles to maintain their spiritual and artistic integrity <i>I'll Take You There</i> is a biography that's well worth the heavenly journey. --NPR
Author Information
Greg Kot has been the music critic at the Chicago Tribune since 1990. Kot is co-host of the nationally syndicated public radio program Sound Opinions, and the author of several books, including Wilco: Learning How to Die; and Ripped: How the Wired Generation Revolutionized Music. He lives in Chicago.
