Before three-time Grammy winner Mavis Staples takes the Heritage Theatre stage May 10 for a show celebrating the Campbell venue’s 20th anniversary.
In addition to her trio of Grammys, Staples, who rose to fame as a member of her family’s band The Staple Singers, is also a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner.
She is both a Blues and a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, a National Arts Awards Lifetime Achievement recipient and a Kennedy Center honoree. She was named one of the ”100 Greatest Singers of all Time” by Rolling Stone.
With songs like “I’ll Take You There” and “Respect Yourself,” Staples has also earned recognition as a civil rights icon.
“I’m the messenger,” Staples said on the eve of her 80th birthday. “That’s my job—it has been for my whole life—and I can’t just give up while the struggle’s still alive. We’ve got more work to do, so I’m going to keep on getting stronger and keep on delivering my message every single day.”
At a time when most artists begin to wind down, Staples ramped things up, releasing a trio of critically acclaimed albums in her 70s with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy. Now 84, Staples recently released “We Get By,” her 12th studio album and first full-length collaboration with multi-Grammy Award winner Ben Harper.
The concert starts at 8 p.m. at the Heritage Theatre, located at the Campbell Community Center at: 1 W. Campbell Ave. Tickets are $85 at 408- 866-2700 or HeritageTheatre.org.
