US Airways - February 2014 - (Page 132)

Must Read fact, even though he had performed in front of adoring crowds and become acquainted with presidents and rock stars. "They became stars, but like lowhanging grapes of the vine, they were stars that we could touch," Jesse Jackson, who would soon become one of King's most ardent allies, once said of the "By the time we met Dr. King, I had seen how it was in the South," Mavis says. "I had seen how people were treated down there. For someone to be speaking for us, someone of his caliber and character, I was just totally ready to join forces with him. We all were." It was hardly a stretch for the group to embrace the new possibility for DR. KING WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE STAPLE SINGERS, AND HE SAW A REFLECTION OF HIS VALUES NOT ONLY IN THE MUSIC THEY PERFORMED BUT IN THE WAY POPS SPOKE. Staple Singers. "I mean, they never got disconnected from our stratosphere. The Staples became kind of an everyman's group." Pops returned from his meeting with King and gathered his family at the hotel in Montgomery. "If he can preach it, we can sing it," he said, and essentially set the group's course for the next 10 years. African American life that King outlined in his words and actions. Their music was being embraced by the emerging folk and folk-rock movements, and they were endorsed by tastemakers such as Dylan, Johnny Cash, Joan Baez, and the founders of the Newport Folk Festival. Pops in turn was open enough to let these new experiences and influ- ences seep into the Staple Singers music for the Riverside label. Just as the Staples were starting to find their new audience at Riverside, the label imploded. Cofounder Bill Grauer died in December 1963 and the company would sink into bankruptcy by mid-1964, leaving the Staples once again briefly adrift. But the Riverside years had hardly been wasted; the music the Staple Singers recorded there put them in the middle of the cultural conversation the country was having about civil rights and the Vietnam War. Only weeks before Grauer's death, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated while the family was on tour, driving through the South. The Staples had performed at Kennedy's inauguration in 1961, and were invited back the next year to a State Department event with Dinah Washington and Howlin' Wolf. "We loved President Kennedy," Mavis says. "We sang for him, we shook his hand. Pops http://www.bondurant.com http://www.bondurant.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of US Airways - February 2014

Table of Contents
CEO Letter
From the Editor
Did You Know?
Making It Happen
Diversions: Public Markets
Diversions: Celebration of Fine Art in Scottsdale
Diversions: The Philadelphia Mint
Connections
Style Spotlight: Cruise Control
Adventure: Skiing Salt Lake City
Adventure: Arizona Wet & Wild
Gear Up: Workout Tools
US Airways: History of African Americans in Aviation
Travel Feature: Eleuthera in the Bahamas
Great Tastes: Phoenix Dining
University of California at San Diego
Celebrate Black History Month: HBCUs
Best of Health: Desert Institute for Spine Care
Best of Health: Miami Beach Foot & Ankle Surgery
Visit Tri-Valley, California
Must Read: I'll Take You There by Greg Kot
Puzzles
Readers Resource Index
Your US Airways Guide
Video Entertainment
Audio Entertainment
U.S. and Caribbean Service Map
International Service Map
Airport Terminal Maps
Passenger Info/Contact US Airways
US Airways MarketPlace®
US Airways Fleet/Customs & Immigration
Giving: The Hope Takes Flight Campaign
Window or Aisle?

US Airways - February 2014