The incomparable Mavis Staples is performing at the George S. & Dolores Dore Eccles Center Theater on Saturday, March 3. Staples is best known as the voice of The Staples Singers who, quite frankly, scored the music of the civil rights movement with a combination of gospel, soul and R&B. Sheβs had a remarkable solo career and collaborated with everyone from Prince and Van Morrison to Gorillaz, Neko Case and Bon Iver. Bob Freaking Dylan asked for her hand in marriage, and Staples turned him down! Sheβs a legend. You get the point.
Her latest release, If All I Was Was Black, is her third collaboration with Wilcoβs Jeff Tweedy. Itβs a powerful protest album for the modern era, filled with Staplesβs signature mixture of hope, struggle, pain and uplifting ambition. If βNo Time For Cryingβ doesnβt get you fired up and ready to do something, then you should check your pulse. Β
The show, which is presented by Park City Institute, will feature highlights from throughout Staplesβs career from the timeless βFreedom Highwayβ to cuts from her newer albums and hopefully a few from my personal favorite βOnly For The Lonely.β Tickets for the show start at $29 and can be purchased on the Park City Instituteβs website. Β
1750 Kearns Blvd, Park City, 435-655-3114, parkcity.institute