Family patriarch Roebuck “Pops” Staples was born in 1915 in Winona, Mississippi. After years of performing in gospel groups, Pops' daughters Cleotha and Mavis and son Pervis joined their father in front of a church audience, marking the birth of The Staple Singers. They released traditional spiritual albums, followed by more folk-oriented material, eventually signing with Stax Records in 1968. When Al Bell took over production of the group's records in 1970, the music got funkier and The Staple Singers went on to score 12 chart hits.