Sad news via Greg Kots blog: Mavis Staples is performing to support her new record with folks including guitarist-producer Ry Cooder, drummer Jim Keltner and a few others, but she won’t be making a stop in her hometown of Chicago. Too bad for us, eh?

For a primer on Mavis, check her out with Pop in this cut from The Last Waltz.


She’s a gem and her voice is tops. (For you Band fans out there, you gotta love Rick Danko’s gyrations, right?

Or…check out the great dance moves on SoulTrain in the classic “I’ll Take you There”:


Boy…I wish life was this easy. Wearing great threads. Shimmy-ing down the SoulTrain. Great tunes. Doesn’t get much better than that, does it?