The Staple Singer’s “Respect Yourself” gets a lyric video decades later as a new box set is being prepared for release this month. The group consisting of father Pops Staples and daughters Cleotha, Yvonne and Mavis were gospel and soul stars of the ’60s and ’70s. “Respect Yourself” was their signature commercial hit that happened during their time on Stax Records. Luther Ingram and Mack Rice wrote the song in 1971 after the Civil Rights Movement with the idea that Black people needed to embrace self-empowerment. The video has images of the movement with ones of the current Black Lives Matters protests. The visual is coming out right before the release of a seven-CD box set celebrating The Staple Singers and their time on Stax Records. Come Go With Me: The Stax Collection spans 1968-1974 and comes out November 13th. The collection was released earlier this year digitally and on vinyl. All six of their Stax albums have been remastered and the seventh CD is live recordings, non-album singles and the 1972 Wattstax music festival. There is a booklet of archival photos and liner notes from curator Levon Williams and writer Dr. Langston Wilkins. The box set is available for pre-order now and the digital and vinyl formats are in stock. 

[youtube id=”_POw3BKYprs”]Mavis Staples’ performs “Change” from her forthcoming album, We Get By, on Jimmy Kimmel Live! with Ben Harper. Staples’ 14th studio album comes this Friday (May 24th) and she says, “These songs are delivering such a strong message. We truly need to make a change if we want this world to be better.” Harper is not only featured on “Change” but he produced all of We Get By. Staples will celebrate her 80th birthday (July 10th) early with a show in Los Angeles on tomorrow (May 22nd) and then she will tour Europe and the United States for the rest of the summer.  

Mavis Staples’ next studio album is titled If All I Was Was Black and she says the album is inspired by the racism promoted under President Trump. She expressed her opinion in a press release and said,

“We’re not loving one another the way we should, some people are saying they want to make the world great again, but we never lost our greatness. We just strayed into division.”

She shared the title track today and the song is an upbeat criticism of racism as seen through her eyes. The lyrics point out the real loss in seeing someone only as a color or a type. Staples new album is her third collaboration with Jeff Tweedy of the rock band Wilco. The album will be released November 17th and she will go on tour with her old friend Bob Dylan in October.

[youtube id=”fy4Scr_nbbI”] Mavis Staples recorded “Melody Cool” for Prince’s Graffiti Bridge soundtrack and the song also appeared on her ’93 album, The Voice. Prince wrote “Melody Cool” and worked with Staples on multiple occasions. He was a fan of Staples and her gospel star family members The Staple Singers. Prince produced Staples’ The Voice and Time Waits For No One albums for his Paisley Park Records. She became one of the few R&B veterans Prince made relevant again with his music. Staples performed “Melody Cool” in Graffiti Bridge and attracted a new generation of fans. The addition of Staples’ singing to the soundtrack is another reason why Graffiti Bridge is more admired for its music thank its cinematic value. Staples’ 14th studio album, Livin’ On A High Note was released at the beginning of 2016.

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