She began her career in the family group Staple Singers together with her father Pops Staples and siblings Pervis, Yvonne, and Cleotha. But Mavis Staples also became a solo artist, and when Rolling Stone in 2023 named the 200 best singing voices of all time, Mavis Staples was listed in 46th place, after Ella Fitzgerald, but before Toni Braxton.
During her long career, she has worked with, among others, Aretha Franklin, Prince, Arcade Fire, Ry Cooder, David Byrne, and Bob Dylan.
Mavis Staples was also a civil rights activist. Staple Singers participated in Martin Luther King's meetings, and two of the group's songs, "I'll take you there" and "Freedom highway", became somewhat of a soundtrack to the 1960s civil rights movement.
Way Out West takes place in Gothenburg on August 7-9. Among the new bookings are also Little Dragon's singer Yukimi, Gothenburg-based Jjulius, as well as the Mississippi band Annie & The Caldwells with Annie Caldwell and her family members.
