On Tuesday, June 23, legendary American gospel/soul singer Mavis Staples will take the stage at Door Community Auditorium.
The Chicago Tribune hails Staples as an “American treasure.” Indeed, Staples has been a solid rock of American music, from the delta-inflected gospel sound she helped create in the 1950s (Uncloudy Day), to her engaged protest music in the civil rights era (Freedom Highway), to a series of chart hits in the 1970s (I’ll Take You There, Respect Yourself).
It was more than sixty years ago when Mavis Staples began singing with her groundbreaking gospel, soul, and R&B family band The Staple Singers. Those early years launched a storied and joyful career, packed with appearances alongside everyone from Martin Luther King, Jr., to Presidents Carter and Clinton, to Bob Dylan and Pink Floyd. Six decades later, Mavis Staples continues to make music, collaborating with modern icons like Jeff Tweedy (Wilco) and never relinquishing her gospel roots or her fiery spirit.
The Seattle Times says Staples’ performances are “rich in spirit, lusty musicality and the kind of funky and gospel-infused affirmation that has influenced her music since childhood.”
Staples is a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner, and a National Heritage Fellowship Award recipient. VH1 named her one of the 100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll, and Rolling Stone listed her as one of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. Her Jeff Tweedy-produced album You Are Not Alone won the Grammy Award for Best Americana Album in 2011, adding a remarkable new chapter to an already historic career.
Mavis Staples’ show is sponsored by Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant and Butik, Blue Horse Cafe, The Landmark Resort, Maxwelton Braes, On Deck Clothing Company, Peninsula Filmworks and Settlement Courtyard Inn & Lavender Spa.
Mavis Staples will perform at DCA at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 23. Tickets for the concert range from $32 to $58. Advance reservations are recommended and can be made through the DCA box office, located at 3926 Highway 42 in Fish Creek. The box office is open Monday-Friday, 12-5 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in person, on the phone at (920) 868-2728, or online at www.dcauditorium.org.