BAM presents R&B legend Mavis Staples in concert The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee performs for one night—January 22 at 8pm
BAM 2008 Spring Season is sponsored by Bloomberg
Target is the presenting sponsor for Mavis Staples
BAM Howard Gilman Opera House (30 Lafayette Ave) Jan 22 at 8pm Tickets: $20, 30, 40 BAM.org or 718.636.4100
Brooklyn, NY/December 10, 2007—BAM presents Mavis Staples in concert on January 22 at 8pm. A Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and one of VH1’s “100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll,” Mavis Staples has blazed a rhythm & blues trail while never relinquishing her gospel roots. On January 22, in tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Staples will perform songs from her acclaimed CD We’ll Never Turn Back. Produced by the legendary Ry Cooder, the CD combines raw, emotional, contemporized versions of some of the freedom songs that provided the soundtrack to the civil rights movement along with powerful originals. The New York Times called it, “bluesy, unvarnished, gutsy and knowing” and USA Today said “there are voices that never lose their resonance, and songs that never lose their relevance, Staples delivers both.”
The Mavis Staples concert will take place in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House (30 Lafayette Ave) on January 22 at 8pm. Tickets—priced at $20, 30, and 40—can be purchased through BAM Ticket Services at 718.636.4100 or at BAM.org.
Staples began her career with her family group The Staple Singers in 1950, initially singing locally at churches and appearing on a weekly radio show. In 1956 the Staples scored a hit with “Uncloudy Day.” When Mavis graduated from high school in 1957, The Staple Singers took their music on the road. Led by family patriarch Roebuck “Pops” Staples on guitar and including the voices of Mavis and her siblings Cleo, Yvonne, and Pervis, the Staples were called “God's Greatest Hitmakers.”
With Mavis’ voice and Pops’ writing, singing, and guitar playing, the Staples evolved from enormously popular gospel singers to one of the most influential spiritually-based groups in
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America. By the mid-1960s The Staple Singers, inspired by Pops’ close friendship with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., became the spiritual and musical voices of the civil rights movement, covering contemporary pop hits with positive messages, including Bob Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” and Stephen Stills’ “For What It’s Worth.” Staples recorded her first solo album, Mavis Staples, for the famed Stax label in 1969. After another Stax release, Only For the Lonely, in 1970, she released a soundtrack album, A Piece of the Action, on Curtis Mayfield’s Curtom label. In addition to her solo albums, Staples has provided vocals on albums by Prince, Los Lobos, and Dr. John, and she appears on album tributes to Johnny Paycheck, Stephen Foster, and Bob Dylan.
In addition to her musical performance on Jan 22, Mavis Staples will discuss her history with the Civil Rights Movement at BAM’s 22nd Annual Brooklyn Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the morning of Jan 21. This annual event is free and takes place in the Howard Gilman Opera House.
Credits BAM 2008 Spring Season is sponsored by Bloomberg. Programming in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House is supported and endowed by The Howard Gilman Foundation.
Target is the presenting sponsor for Mavis Staples.
BAM thanks its many donors and sponsors, including: The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation; New York City Council; Estate of Richard B. Fisher; The Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Inc.; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; The Ford Foundation; The New York State Music Fund; The Starr Foundation; JPMorgan Chase; The Shubert Foundation, Inc.; Carnegie Corporation of New York; Time Warner Inc.; The Kovner Foundation; Booth Ferris Foundation; The Norman & Rosita Winston Foundation, Inc.; American Express Foundation; Forest City Ratner; The Howard Gilman Foundation; The Skirball Foundation; Target; Friends of BAM and BAM Cinema Club. Sovereign Bank is the BAM Marquee sponsor. R/GA is the BAM.org sponsor. Yamaha is the official piano for BAM. New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge is the official hotel for BAM. Sharp Electronics Corporation is BAM’s Consumer Electronics Partner. BAM Lounge Furniture Provider is west elm.
General Information BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, BAM Rose Cinemas, BAMcafé, and Brownstone Books at BAM are located in the Peter Jay Sharp building at 30 Lafayette Avenue (between St Felix Street and Ashland Place) in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn. BAM Harvey Theater is located two blocks from the main building at 651 Fulton Street (between Ashland and Rockwell Places). BAM Rose Cinemas is Brooklyn’s only movie house dedicated to first-run independent and foreign film and repertory programming. BAMcafé, operated by Great Performances, is open for dining prior to Howard Gilman Opera House performances. BAMcafé also features an eclectic mix of spoken word and live music for BAMcafé Live nights on Friday and Saturday with a special BAMcafé Live menu available starting at 8pm.
Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5, Q, B to Atlantic Avenue; D, M, N, R to Pacific Street; G to Fulton Street; C to Lafayette Avenue Train: Long Island Railroad to Flatbush Avenue Bus: B25, B26, B41, B45, B52, B63, B67 all stop within three blocks of BAM Car: Commercial parking lots are located adjacent to BAM
For ticket and BAMbus information, call BAM Ticket Services at 718.636.4100, or visit BAM.org.
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