Staples Jr. Singers follow up 1975 classic - “When Do We Get Paid” w/ “Searching” on Luaka Bop :: 06/14
As it’s been said, it can be quite rare and flat out impossible to know whether, or not members from various groups of the distant past are still with us. Time tends to fold folks like antique origami, its pages revealing this incredibly rich history within its softened text. With whispers of legends, memories and the transcendental gospel, one can gently press their ear against the still beating chest of a dormant artist, whose patience we mere mortals could never comprehend. Their tomb cold from ethereal waiting, while gods and ghosts stand on each end till the rumbling casket lid releases stored vapors revealing the bare soul of the rested. Born and raised in Aberdeen, Mississippi, siblings R.C. Brown, Edward Brown and Annie Brown Caldwell grew up with a rich history rooted deep in the holy gospel of music. Their family tree and its bloomed branches can be seen from any point in the galaxy producing fruit for all eternity via this humble marble we so briefly inhabit. With a supporting father who worked hard to make sure his children were safe, comfortable and always had food on the table, the Browns would soon connect with music and the rest is history.
Having first began playing music together as youngsters back in 1969, the siblings landed on Staples Jr. Singers for the name of their band just a few years later, which was directly inspired by their musical idols at the time, “The Staples Singers”. The group would go on to play school talents shows as well as local gigs alongside Mississippi’s 200 mile long, Tombigbee River before securing more serious bills on the gospel circuit, where they would tour with favorited, regional acts. Landing the deal of a lifetime after a number of years on the road, the band eventually met the elusive studio owner in Tupelo named Big John through a mutual friend on the road. Signing with Mississippi based label, Brenda Records, the band would record one of the most legendary gospel/psych/blues anthem albums of the decade entitled, “When Do We Get Paid”.
A startling mantra on life and the hardships of existence, the album explores the difficult narrative of Civil Rights, our connection to faith and various harmonies of the heart. The siblings poured their enormous souls and hearts into the valleys and grooves of their album and left nothing on the table when It came time to wrap up production. With a small press of about 200 records, the band was solely responsible for distributing and receiving any sort of profit from their work and would often times find themselves selling their album directly after shows, or even from their doorstep. As time went on, the band never record anymore material as The Staples Jr. Singers, but continued to play as The Brown Singers towards the end of the decade. After nearly 50 years, the group has returned with a brand new, highly anticipated album entitled, “Searching” on David Bryne’s label Luaka Bop. A harrowing adventure into the heart and soul of the human condition, The Staples Jr. Singers enlighten their listeners with gorgeous hymns of planetary healing and bathed mindfulness with the album’s first single, “Lost in a World of Sin”. You can feel this holy atmosphere across the album’s 8 tracks that its almost excitingly paranormal. With titles like “Don’t Need No Doctor”, “I’ve Got Feeling” and the album’s opener, “Living In This World Alone” feat. Annie Brown Caldwell, “Searching” is an extraordinary testament of how we coexist alongside history and the sometimes demanding elements of existence.
