Mavis Staples sings from her soul

In an all-black outfit, drop earrings and a black bob with a golden sheen, she walked on stage to an eruptive cheer of applause. The Buskirk-Chumley Theater’s sold-out crowd of mostly baby boomers stood in their seats, clapping and hooting.
Mavis Staples, Grammy award-winning gospel singer and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, looked straight at the audience. 

“Thank you. Thank you very much,” she said.

Staples, with her husky, soulful voice, warm disposition and heartfelt songs set the stage Thursday night with four backup singers and her band as an opening act for the Lotus World Music and Arts Festival. Lee Williams, director of the Lotus Festival, said he chooses specific artists for the festival, and Staples made the cut.

“The goal of the Lotus Festival is to fill people with joy and excitement and to expose people to diverse cultures around the world,” Williams said. Turning 18 years old this year, the festival strives to bring a collaborative mix of undiscovered artists and artists who have appreciation for “the music of their homeland.”

Staples and her family’s group, The Staples, took advantage of the musical opportunity their home offered. Staples grew up in Chicago, and under her father’s, Roebuck “Pops” Staples, lead, the family took its music around the country, beginning in the 1950s.

During the next decade, they piggy-backed off Pops’ close friendship with Martin Luther King, Jr., singing chart-topping hits such as “I’ll Take You There” and “Respect Yourself.” Her family was actively involved in the Civil Rights Movement with messages about freedom included in their performances, singing songs such as “Long Walk to D.C.” and “When Will We Be Paid?”

Staples’ concert at the Buskirk-Chumley featured a number of new songs from her Grammy-award-winning Best Americana Album, including “You Are Not Alone,” “Wrote a Song for Everyone,” “The Weight” and “Freedom Highway” from the album of the same name. 

Between songs, Mavis conversed with both the audience and her band. At one point, she drank from a water bottle between songs and tried clearing her throat. As she walked toward the microphone, she said, “I’ve got a frog in my throat.” 

Her guitar player bent toward her neck and said, “Get it out of there!” Staples laughed.
She expressed her gratitude that everyone in Bloomington treated her well.

“Everybody feeling all right?” she asked. The crowd cheered. 

“You know, we’ve been hearing about this festival for some time now, and we were wondering what took you so long,” she said.

She threw her hands up in the air, shook her head and set her raspy, deep, rich vocals free to fill the room. She shook hands of audience members reaching toward her.
Another audience member was shimmying back and forth in her seat, bobbing her head to the beat.

Many of the audience members weren’t hearing Staples for the first time. Bloomington resident Beverly Calender-Anderson said she wanted to see somebody to whom she had been listening since childhood. She said she saw Staples perform in Chicago when she was growing up.

“It’s Mavis,” Calender-Anderson said. “She has been able to stay relevant for so many years.”

She added that as she has grown older, the lyrics take on even more meaning, especially during the current times.

Another audience member and senior editor at IU’s Geological Survey, Deb

DeChurch, described Staples’ music as authentic.

“She knows a place we want to go,” fellow audience member Bill Corcoran said.
Yet the audience wasn’t completely filled with those who grew up with Mavis. IU Senior

Eric Gonzaba said he came because Staples is the epitome of soul music and is a testament to how important the Motown and soul era was.

“It’s classic,” he said. “Without the fundamentals, we wouldn’t have the music that we do today.”

Gonzaba said it’s important for students to get a taste of different artists and genres of American music.

“I love Lady GaGa, but I also love my soul music,” he said.