The Staple Singers emerged into the public consciousness in the early 1950s and over the course of their influential career, transformed how listeners experienced Gospel music. During the Civil Rights movement, Roebuck “Pops” Staples discovered that their music could both enlighten and inspire a new generation. Signing with Stax Records, they began to rule not only the Gospel charts, but the Pop and R&B ones as well, with hits like “I’ll Take You There” (which topped both the Pop & R&B charts), “Respect Yourself,” “Touch A Hand, Make A Friend,” and more. After Stax closed, they moved to Curtis Mayfield’s Curtom Records and 1975 saw them hit #1 on both the Pop and R&B Charts again with “Let’s Do It Again.” Three additional albums for Warner Bros. closed out the decade. [Expanded editions of Let’s Do It Again (1975), Pass It On (1976), Family Tree (1977), and Unlock Your Mind (1978) are available from Omnivore Recordings].
An international tour sponsored by the U.S. Government found the Staples performing across the continent of Africa in 1980. The set included recent and classic hits like “Let’s Do It Again,” “Respect Yourself,” standards “Will The Circle Be Unbroken,” “Come Go With Me,” and choice covers like “Ease On Down The Road” from The Wiz, and the Bacharach/David classic, “A House Is Not A Home.”
Now, with Restoration and Mastering from multiple Grammy-winning Engineer, Michael Graves, Africa 80 presents a look into this ever-evolving musical and National treasure. New liner notes from Tim Dillinger-Curenton contextualize the band’s story, legacy, and detail the tour and recording. Africa 80 delivers a snapshot of this powerful group on tour for the first time on the African continent.
Africa 80 tracklist:
1. Introduction
2. Ease On Down The Road
3. Let’s Do It Again
4. Respect Yourself
5. Come Go With Me
6. Why Am I Treated So Bad
7. A House Is Not A Home
8. Will The Circle Be Unbroken
9. He’s Alright
10. Touch A Hand, Make A Friend
11. Touch A Hand, Make A Friend (Reprise)
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