大象传媒

Mavis Staples, American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, chooses the Tracks of My Years with music from The Band and Bonnie Raitt. The interview was first broadcast in January 2018 at the time Mavis released her sixteenth studio album 'If All I Was Was Black'. It was written and produced by Jeff Tweedy who features on the fourth track 'Ain't No Doubt About it'. At the time Mavis said her new album "...brings us all together as a people. That's what I hope to do. You can't stop me. You can't break me. I'm too loving. These songs are going to change the world."

Born on the 10th July 1939 in Chicago, Illinois, Mavis began singing with her family, The Staple Singers, at local Chicago churches before signing with the gospel label Vee-Jay Records in 1953. The family put on a concert in Montgomery, Alabama, which Martin Luther King Jr. was attending. The group later had a number of soul hits and a No. 1 pop song with "Let's Do It Again," from the film soundtrack of the same name. Mavis has also established a successful solo career while working with a range of artists, from Prince to Natalie Merchant. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Blues Hall of Fame in 2017.

Ken also has the daily love song, record and album of the week plus PopMaster. If you'd like to get in touch with the show email Ken.Bruce@bbc.co.uk.