Mavis Staples

Episode notes

Mavis Staples is one of the greatest singers of our time– a gospel, soul and R&B vocalist known for her rich, throaty voice. She began as the lead member of The Staple Singers in the 1950’s, a family gospel group formed by Pops Staples and several of his children.

The Staple Singers achieved hits with “Respect Yourself”, “I’ll Take You There” and “Let’s Do it Again”. They also became a musical voice of the American Civil Rights Movement with their protest music.

Staples has reinvented her sound over the decades. She’s worked with Curtis Mayfield, Ry Cooder, Bob Dylan and Prince (Yes, THAT Prince).

Her most recent album One True Vine was released in 2013 and produced by Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy. You can find a partial transcript of this interview here.

This segment originally aired January 30th, 2011.

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Justin, Travis and Griffin McElroy from My Brother, My Brother and Me join the show to answer pop culture quandaries from listeners.

Are you ever too old to hang up posters on your walls? Should you ever tell your children that the shows they like actually suck? Is it ever a good idea to talk to a stranger about the book they’re reading? The brothers proffer their advice with a healthy amount of goofs mixed in.

If you liked what you heard, over 200 episodes of My Brother, My Brother and Me are available on
iTunes and right here on Maximumfun.org

This segment originally aired February 28, 2012.

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Jesse examines the often superficial fashion world and finds a stunningly sincere and emotional portrait of a man. The man is New York Times fashion photographer Bill Cunningham, and the portrait is Richard Press’s biographical documentary Bill Cunningham New York.

This segment originally aired March 24, 2012.

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