The powerful voice of Kennedy Center Honoree, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee, and Blues Hall of Fame Inductee Mavis Staples comes to the Jersey Shore on Wednesday, July 31. Staples performs in the City of Cape May Summer Concert Series at Cape May Convention Hall, 714 Beach Avenue in Cape May, New Jersey, beginning at 8 p.m.
Mavis Staples, along with her father, brother, and two sisters, began performing as The Staple Singers, in 1950. After performing in Chicago area churches, the family group hit the Top 40 eight times between 1971 and 1975. “I’ll Take You There” reached Number 1 in 1972, while “Let’s Do It Again” hit the top of the charts in 1975, and “If You’re Ready (Come Go With Me)” and “Respect Yourself” also broke into the Top 20. As a solo artist, Staples has released 14 albums and has collaborated with a wide variety of musicians, including Prince, The Band, Ray Charles, Natalie Merchant, Los Lobos, and longtime friend Bob Dylan. Her voice has been sampled by a number of artists, including Salt ‘N’ Pepa, Ice Cube, and Ludacris.
Staples has been seen in numerous movies and television programs, including The Last Waltz, Graffiti Bridge, New York Undercover, The Cosby Show, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and Mavis!, a feature-length documentary about Staples and the Staple Singers. Her powerful voice can be heard on the soundtracks for National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, The Help, The Best Man Holiday, Charlie Wilson’s War, and many other films and television series. A Kennedy Center honoree, National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship recipient, and National Arts Awards Lifetime Achievement recipient, Staples has been nominated for eight Grammy Awards, won two Grammys, and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Staples was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 and into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2017. In May of this year, she released We Get By, an album produced by Grammy award winner Ben Harper.
Tickets are $48 for reserved seats and can be purchased in person at Cape May Convention Hall, 714 Beach Avenue or online at CapeMayCity.com. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/capemaycity and follow us on Twitter@capemaycity. For more information, call (609) 884-9565.