The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences announced today that the Staple Singers will receive the Academy's® Lifetime Achievement Award at the Academy's 47th Annual GRAMMY Awards in Los Angeles the weekend of February 12 and 13, 2005. Defined by the gospel-based songwriting and bluesy guitar of patriarch Roebuck "Pops" Staples, Mavis Staples' rich, soulful lead vocals and the rhythmic harmonies of Cleotha and Yvonne Staples, the Staple Singers were "God's greatest hitmakers."
Mavis Staples continues to make her family's musical message heard since the Staple Singers fell silent in the wake of Cleotha's illness and Pops' death. In August 2004, Mavis released "Have A Little Faith" (Alligator), her first album since 1996. Following the album's release, she appeared on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," toured with Al Green, performed at the Americana Music Awards, appeared in the Martin Scorsese-produced feature film "Lightning in a Bottle," and joined Eric Clapton, Franz Ferdinand, and Basement Jaxx on Jools Holland's "New Year's Eve Hootenanny" on the BBC. She sang "America the Beautiful" at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston and her new song "I Still Believe in You" was used by the Boston Red Sox network in a series of October TV promo spots during the team's historic run to the World Series. In March 2005, Mavis will be a featured speaker at the SxSW 2005 Music Conference and continue to tour the US, Canada and Europe.
Last month, Mavis received a 2004 GRAMMY nomination for Best Gospel Performance for her collaboration with Dr. John on the song "Lay My Burden Down," (which also features The Dirty Dozen Brass Band) from Dr. John's "N'awlinz Dis Dat Or D'udda" album (also nominated for Best Contemporary Blues Album). Mavis also delivered a standout performance of "Hard Times Come Again No More" on "Beautiful Dreamer: The Songs of Steven Foster," which scored a nomination for Best Traditional Folk Album. In 2003 Mavis was nominated for the “Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals” Grammy for her duet with Bob Dylan on “Gotta Change My Way Of Thinking." Pops Staples' "Father Father," which Mavis sang on and co-produced, won the 1994 GRAMMY for Best Contemporary Blues Album.
Other artists to recieve the Lifetime Acheivement award this year include Eddy Arnold, Art Blakey, the original members of the Carter Family, Morton Gould, Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jelly Roll Morton, and Pinetop Perkins. The Lifetime Achievement Special Merit Award is presented by vote of the Recording Academy's National Trustees to performers who, during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artist significance to the field of recording.
