An Influence On The Staple Singers' Sound?

[Boogiedown]

It might well be a reach, but in familiarizing myself with the style of Peggy Scott and Jo Jo Benson, I couldn't help but be reminded of The Staple Singers and I got to wondering if the duo may have had some degree of influence on them, Mavis in particular.


Here's Peggy & JoJos first hit, from the summer of 1968.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChK1j6ABRdo

LOVER'S HOLIDAY made #8 on the R&B Chart and broke into the Billboard Hot 100's Top Forty, reaching #31. It was recorded in Nashville, just three hours away from The Staple Singers' Stax headquarters in Memphis where they were newly signed. I'm guessing LOVER'S HOLIDAY likely started out as a regional hit where it might have also had its biggest success, and it seems likely there would have been a substantial awareness of it throughout Tennessee. [[who knows, it might have even been a favorite radio tune of Mavis'[[?), who found herself easily able to sing along).

[Boogiedown]

Peggy Scott & JoJo Benson went on to have a total of four moderately successful singles in 1968 and 1969, all out of Nashville [[SSS International).

Then late in 1970, The Staple Singers would record their first charting record:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HA9BKNUmV2c

Any thoughts??

Added: I only know of the Staple Singers music from this point forward, I know they had been a group since the fifties, so perhaps that had been Mavis' sound all along or long before.[[?)

[marv2]

I really doubt that. The Staple Singers have been singing together as a family gospel group since the late 1940s and they pretty had the same soulful style all through their career. It may be them that influenced those ladies.

[Boogiedown]

Very good Marv. Can you provide clips where Mavis sounds like that prior to 1968?
Also Peggy and JoJo are a male-female duo , not ladies. Did you give it a listen?

[marv2]

Very good Marv. Can you provide clips where Mavis sounds like that prior to 1968?
Also Peggy and JoJo are a male-female duo , not ladies. Did you give it a listen?

I am sorry I have not had a chance to listen to them yet and for not knowing they were a male and female duo. I'll look and see what I can find.

[marv2]

Here's one they did in 1956:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7V7OMw7tg8

[marv2]

One of my favorites from the early 60s "Sit Down Servant"


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxgZuE14he8

[Boogiedown]

Thanks Marv for supplying those!
SIT DOWN SERVANT is a pleasure and in her opening, l hear the potential of the Mavis Staples voice that has not yet been fully tapped into. At least not in that example imo. Something more emerges once in the Stax studios.

[reese]

Thanks Marv for supplying those!
SIT DOWN SERVANT is a pleasure and in her opening, l hear the potential of the Mavis Staples voice that has not yet been fully tapped into. At least not in that example imo. Something more emerges once in the Stax studios.

Their Epic albums like WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW IS LOVE and FOR WHAT ITS WORTH are great precursors to what they would do at Stax.

Also, Mavis' duets with Johnnie Taylor, William Bell, and Eddie Floyd on Stax's BOY MEETS GIRL album might be of interest to you as well.

[marv2]

Thanks Marv for supplying those!
SIT DOWN SERVANT is a pleasure and in her opening, l hear the potential of the Mavis Staples voice that has not yet been fully tapped into. At least not in that example imo. Something more emerges once in the Stax studios.

You are welcome Boogie. There "sound" obviously changed somewhat when they started performing secular music. The producers at Stax had something to do with that, but the raw talent and style remained throughout. Have you noticed that even with all of their R&B/Soul hits they sounded like Gospel?

[motony]

I met Peggy Scott & Jo Jo Benson after a big Soul Show in Orlando when "Lovers Holiday" was a hit. Nice people, they were from the Pensacola area of Florida. They recorded for Shelby Singleton out of Nashville. Peggy Scott had some records that made some noise in the late 80's or early 90's under the name Peggy Scott-Adams that were made in New Orleans I think. To the question, no I do not think they influenced the Sound of the Staple Singers, I think Stax did.

[motony]

I went on Amazon and see that Peggy Scott-Adams has several solo LPs that have good reviews.

[marv2]

It might well be a reach, but in familiarizing myself with the style of Peggy Scott and Jo Jo Benson, I couldn't help but be reminded of The Staple Singers and I got to wondering if the duo may have had some degree of influence on them, Mavis in particular.


Here's Peggy & JoJos first hit, from the summer of 1968.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChK1j6ABRdo

LOVER'S HOLIDAY made #8 on the R&B Chart and broke into the Billboard Hot 100's Top Forty, reaching #31. It was recorded in Nashville, just three hours away from The Staple Singers' Stax headquarters in Memphis where they were newly signed. I'm guessing LOVER'S HOLIDAY likely started out as a regional hit where it might have also had its biggest success, and it seems likely there would have been a substantial awareness of it throughout Tennessee. [[who knows, it might have even been a favorite radio tune of Mavis'[[?), who found herself easily able to sing along).

Oh yeah I remember this song. Sure. He reminds me of Joe Tex and she sounds like several female singers from the period. The lead singer of the Ikettes and a bit of Tina Turner herself. Good song. Thanks Boogie.

[Boogiedown]

Oh yeah I remember this song. Sure. He reminds me of Joe Tex and she sounds like several female singers from the period. The lead singer of the Ikettes and a bit of Tina Turner herself. Good song. Thanks Boogie.

Hold up Marv! You're stepping on my Mavis narrative I'm having some fun with!! lol! but Tina Turner, ya I get where you are coming from with that!!

[marv2]

Hold up Marv! You're stepping on my Mavis narrative I'm having some fun with!! lol! but Tina Turner, ya I get where you are coming from with that!!

She also reminds me of Laura Lee.......sorry. hehehehehehe!

[Boogiedown]

1965!!!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULw1RHHPv5g

Tina's not holding back. unfathomable the US market chose to ignore this.

[Boogiedown]

yes. I definitely hear "Mavis" in here at times. But this is from 1969, during Mavis' STAX tenure.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Flnkgt6FnnI

[Boogiedown]

Their Epic albums like WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW IS LOVE and FOR WHAT ITS WORTH are great precursors to what they would do at Stax.

Also, Mavis' duets with Johnnie Taylor, William Bell, and Eddie Floyd on Stax's BOY MEETS GIRL album might be of interest to you as well.

OK, the Mavis/STAX sound has ARRIVED here! [[but!, it is now 1968):


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7KfsUq0v1Q

[marv2]

The Ikettes:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pn7B0P-eCEE

[heikki]

Hi!

Incidentally, I talked to Peggy a while ago:
http://www.soulexpress.net/deep2_2018.htm#peggyscott

Best regards
Heikki

[Boogiedown]

this is what the Staples were sounding like on their last Epic release in 1967:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sflPB0Agqes

[reese]

WAITING FOR MY CHILD is from PRAY ON, their fourth Epic album. The last Staples album on Epic [[their sixth) was WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW IS LOVE. Here is one of its songs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5rmL7Slxq4

[reese]

Also from the WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW IS LOVE album.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg3muKIYiHA

[rrussi]

I love the Ikettes and this particular record, however, what were the costumes those "dancers" are wearing behind them. It's obvious in a European country, but the stage props were strange. Good to hear it done "live". Robby Montgomery!

[rrussi]

Wes saw Peggy Scott & JoJo Benson on a bill in 1969. I remember Pigmeat Markham and Ollie & the Nightengales were also on the bill. Peggy Scott was a fantastic singer! At the time she was only about 19. I do not think there was any influence on the Staples.

[Boogiedown]

Thank you reese and rrussi both for your input!
Since I don't know the Staple Singers' output prior to their Stax signing, I relied on info from discogs, which lists both WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW and PRAY ON as being their last two Epic releases [[1968).

Wiki mentions this song as an example of Epic's move to make their sound more mainstream accessible.
From 1967:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n9Rgkpz7yE

There's no subduing Mavis is there? She just stands out!

[reese]

Thank you reese and rrussi both for your input!
Since I don't know the Staple Singers' output prior to their Stax signing, I relied on info from discogs, which lists both WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW and PRAY ON as being their last two Epic releases [[1968).

You're very welcome.

The group's Epic albums are:
AMEN! [[1965)
FREEDOM HIGHWAY [[1965)
WHY [[1966)
PRAY ON [[1967)
FOR WHAT ITS WORTH [[1967)
WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW IS LOVE [[1968)

Their only singles to chart at Epic were WHY [[AM I TREATED SO BAD) and FOR WHAT ITS WORTH.

[Boogiedown]

I'm likely just being stubborn at this point about this:rolleyes: but I'll still assert that if you have Pops doing Jojo's part, and Mavis doing Peggy's -exactly as presented- you have the bases for a STAX Staple Singers release.
I don't know where the Staples were recording while on Epic [[reese?) but I believe they are historically Chicago based and 1968's signing to STAX takes them down south to Tennessee around the time this song is released just up the music highway a ways in Memphis.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=51&v=ChK1j6ABRdo

What would intrigue me is if someone who had access to Mavis were to ask her if the name Peggy Scott has any meaning to her, what her response would be. If they only get a blank stare , well there you have it.

[Boogiedown]

BTW , for those who might not know , The Staples first Top 40 Hit, HEAVY MAKES YOU HAPPY, is a remake. It was originally released [[and ignored) this way by the song's author Bobby Bloom:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk649WnnQiY

A great song imo that just needed to be kicked up a notch or two such that the energy fitted the song's sentiments , which is exactly what The Staple Singers did.

[reese]

I'm likely just being stubborn at this point about this:rolleyes: but I'll still assert that if you have Pops doing Jojo's part, and Mavis doing Peggy's -exactly as presented- you have the bases for a STAX Staple Singers release.
I don't know where the Staples were recording while on Epic [[reese?) but I believe they are historically Chicago based and 1968's signing to STAX takes them down south to Tennessee around the time this song is released just up the music highway a ways in Memphis.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=51&v=ChK1j6ABRdo

What would intrigue me is if someone who had access to Mavis were to ask her if the name Peggy Scott has any meaning to her, what her response would be. If they only get a blank stare , well there you have it.

Not sure where all of their Epic material was recorded. But some of it was produced by Billy Sherill and I believe he worked out of Nashville.

The FREEDOM HIGHWAY album was recorded live at a church in Chicago.

The last album, WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW IS LOVE was produced by Ted Cooper, with one track done by Jerry Ragavoy. For some reason, I think that album might have been done in NYC but don't quote me on that.