SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - The Stapleton Singers

In 1961, the tiny D-Town label released a 45 by the Stapleton Singers, "I Will Trust the Lord" backed with "Tell Him What You Want" - better known as "Jesus on the Mainline." It didn't do much. Flash forward ahead to 1965 and the Staple Singers - Pops Staples and kids Pervis, Yvonne and Mavis - are big hits. To capitalize on their fame, D-Town re-released the same 45, only now with the correct name of the group on the label!

The Staple Singers, of course, would go on to have a host of hits for different major labels - "Respect Yourself," "I'll Take You There," "Freedom Highway" and become heroes of the civil rights movement. Sister Mavis is a musical icon and continues to thrill audiences around the world. But if you had somehow managed to find a copy of the original "Tell Him What You Want" in 1961 - you'd know from a single listen that 22-year-old Mavis was destined to be a star!

MUSIC: The Staple Singers, "Tell Him What You Want," 45 (September 17, 2023)

I'm Robert Darden ... "Shout! Black Gospel Music Moments" is produced by KWBU, the Black Gospel Music Preservation Program at Baylor University Libraries and is funded by generous support from the Prichard Foundation.

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