Grammy Winner Mavis Staples to Perform at UNC Asheville

Mavis Staples, one of America’s most enduring and best-loved vocalists, will perform in concert at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 31, in UNC Asheville’s Lipinsky Auditorium.

Staples made her name as a singer of gospel and Rhythm & Blues. Her most recent album, “You are Not Alone,” won the 2011 Grammy Award for best Americana Album.

Staples began her career in 1950 as a member of her family’s popular
gospel group, the Staple Singers. Her father, Pops Staples, was a close
friend of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Staple Singers became a
leading musical voice of the civil rights movement in the 1960s. In the
early 1970s, the group merged gospel harmonies with pop and funk
sensibilities and reached the Billboard Top 40 eight times, including
number-one hits “Respect Yourself” and “I’ll Take You There.”

In
her solo career, Staples has recorded in many different styles with a
wide range of musical collaborators, including jazz guitarist John
Schofield, Patti Griffin, George Jones, Delbert McClinton, Los Lobos,
and Dr. John. Her 2003 duet with Bob Dylan was Grammy-nominated. Staples
was named one of the 100 greatest singers of all time by Rolling Stone
magazine and one of the 100 greatest women of rock-and-roll by VH1.

This
concert is sponsored by the UNC Asheville’s Cultural Events and Special
Academic Programs. Tickets are $35; $7 for students. For tickets and
information, visit http://cesap.unca.edu/ or call (828) 251-6674.