For What It's Worth

The Staple Singers were an amazing band. Led by Roebuck “Pop” Staples, with his children Pervis, Yvonne and Mavis, they were the first family of soul. That’s right, suck it Jackson 5. Most of your albums were written and recorded by studio musicians. Taking into account that The Ramones weren’t brothers (nor did any one of them actually have the surname “Ramone”), one could make a credible case that The Staple Singers were the best family band period.

This musical supremacy is cogently demonstrated by their live cover performance of Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth.” It’s an already powerful song (I’ve always loved the line “what a field day for the heat”) lent a greater urgency and edge by the Staple Singers stripped down sound. Pops Staples does more with a single electric guitar and handclaps than most bands can summon with a full instrumental backing.

Despite the pervasive presence of protest and social commentary in their music, The Staple Singers never came across as preachy or heavy handed. Their lyrics, while addressing overarching societal problems, were always really positive and emphasized the necessity of self awareness and individual change in order to effect a larger change. I find that refreshing.