Friday, June 03, 2011

American Top 40 Flashback - The Staple Singers



One of the best purchases I've ever made was a 7-CD set from Rhino Records covering the history of 1970s soul. It is one of my favorite genres of music, and in many cases has gotten lost in the maelstrom of history. The stars of that era may not have been the giants who roamed the Earth in the 1960s (people like Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, James Brown, the Motown crew, and others), but there was still a lot of remarkable talent producing a lot of remarkable work - The Spinners, The Stylistics, The O'Jays, LaBelle, and many, many others. Plus, there were plenty of glorious one-shots, like New York City's "I'm Doin' Fine Now."

And of course, The Staple Singers. They've been around forever, producing great work in so many decades that I've lost count. And here they are with one of their best, "I'll Take You There," the #1 song this week in 1972.

1 comment:

le0pard13 said...

Great pick, Jeff. Such a bevy of remarkable artists and musicians. I remember this one so well -- it lead up to my high school graduation. Thanks for the memory, my friend.