Cleotha Staples, a member of the chart-topping gospel
group The Staple Singers, has died at the age of 78.
The family
group had eight US top 40 singles in the 1970s, including the number ones I'll
Take You There and Let's Do It Again.
They enjoyed
success on the Stax label and Curtis Mayfield's Curtom label.
Friend and
publicist Bill Carpenter said Cleotha suffered from Alzheimer's disease. Her
sister Mavis paid tribute to Cleotha's "soothing" voice.
"A lot of
singers would try to sing like her," Mavis said in a statement. "Her
voice would just ring in your ear. It wasn't harsh or hitting you hard, it was
soothing. She gave us that country sound."
'Strong' voice
The group,
which also featured father Pops, sister Yvonne and brother Pervis, began singing
in church in Chicago in 1948.
They were
inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 and received a Grammy
lifetime achievement award in 2005.
Neil Portnow,
president of the Recording Academy, which organises the Grammy Awards,
described them as "one of Stax Records' most important and successful
acts".
"Their
songs spread messages of hope, brotherhood and self-respect through some of
R&B's finest and most passionate voices, and their music remains as vital
today as when it was recorded," he said.
"Music has
suffered a great loss, and our thoughts and condolences are with her family,
friends and all those who have been moved and influenced by her strong, soulful
voice."
Source: BBC
Thinking of buying something on Amazon?
Kindly use the link below:
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.