Mavis with JT Volume 2 is on the cards

[Albert Tatlock]

http://www.lfpress.c...4/19200146.html

 

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

 

Staples, Wilco star a great team

 

By DARRYL STERDAN, QMI AGENCY

Last Updated: January 4, 2012 1:34pm

 

Mavis Staples has her work cut out for her in 2012. Barely a week into the new year, the gospel legend's dance card is already filling up fast with projects -- tour dates, TV tapings and at the top of her list, a second album with her new pal and career-rejuvenating collaborator Jeff Tweedy of Wilco.

"Tweedy and I just talked about it," the 72-year-old Staples says from her Chicago home. "We actually thought we were going to get started before Christmas, only Wilco were still promoting their CD. But he said, 'Mavis, right after the holidays, we've got to order some barbecue and talk about what we're going to do next.' I haven't heard any songs yet, but it's on the books. So I'm looking forward to that."

As she should. Their first pairing -- her 2010 CD You Are Not Alone, which Tweedy produced and co-wrote -- earned her the first Grammy of her six-decade career and kickstarted what she calls "the best year of my life." As she gears up for the next year -- and a tour that brings her to Ontario this month -- the youngest daughter of musical patriarch Pops Staples got on the horn to talk Grammy glory, staying humble and her toughest task in 2012. The highlights:

Congrats on your Grammy. Did it matter that it was in the Americana category instead of gospel?

Not at all. I was just grateful to be honoured at my age. I'm old-old-school, you know? So I was really taken back when they said I was the winner. I got weak in the knees and needed help to walk up to the stage. I didn't care about the category. Yes, I'm a gospel singer. But I sing folk, I sing country, I sing Americana. And you know what? Pops won his Grammy when he was 83 years old, and they had him in the blues category. When Pops got home and realized that, he told my brother,

'I'm not a blues singer, I'm a gospel singer. I'm giving this thing back!' My brother had to tell him, 'You can't give back a Grammy! Besides, if you think about it, you are an old blues singer.' That calmed him down.

I presume you're not giving your statue back. What did you do with it?

It's in my living room. In fact, I bought a little stand for it. It's standing all on its own so anyone who comes through can check it out. But don't touch!

Did the award have a big impact on your career?

Oh Lord, yes. We worked and travelled so much in the past year. We've never had a whole year of work like that. I've been to places I've never been before. We went to Australia twice and New Zealand and we did all of Europe and all the big festivals. And I could see the difference in the audiences. There's more young people now. And the response is so much heavier. It seems we're so much more appreciated. I couldn't be any happier.

But how long can you keep up that pace?

Well, I don't plan to do it like that for the next year. I feel my age. I've never complained -- no way. But I am tired. Of course, it's a good kind of tired!

You're coming up here to play some shows. What determines whether it's a good night or a bad night for you? What's your goal?

I really don't see any bad nights. We always have a good time. We're out there to entertain the people. I want to see them smiling and maybe shedding a tear. My father taught me: If you sing from your heart, you'll reach the people. Because what comes from the heart reaches the heart. So before I leave that dressing room, I go to my heart, I say a little prayer and then I give my all.

Do you feel you're still getting better as a singer?

You know, I think so. I've been going forward right along. And things are just going so good for me. So many things are happening. VH1 just called me the other day to do a Divas special. I never thought I'd be asked to do that. I'll be singing I'll Take You There with Chaka Khan and Erykah Badu. I'm excited about that. But I did tell my manager: 'I am not a diva!'

So all this success hasn't gone to your head?

No way! I'm just a humble, little old golden girl. But I have had some rock stars come backstage to meet me. Norah Jones came to two of my shows. And Raphael Saadiq actually wanted to produce my last record. I told the record company, 'We'll see how we do with Tweedy.' And once Tweedy came along I said, 'Well, that's it for Raphael.' I'm keeping Tweedy as long as I can!

Have you got a new year's resolution?

Not yet. But if I make one, it's gonna be the one I make every year: To lose some weight. That's the hardest job of all.

[Magnetized]

This is wonderful news! I love interviews with Mavis, too--I can just hear her saying these words. And you know, I think she's right--she has gotten better recently. This late career boost seems to have made her a more confident performer. It's that old Tweedy magic.

[Albert Tatlock]

I think there has been great benefit flowing in the other direction from this relationship too ...