US Airways - February 2014 - (Page 131)

explore Must Read An Excerpt from a Great New Book A Powerful Journey In 1950, a young Mavis Staples lent her powerful voice to her family band, the Staple Singers, who became a popular spiritual-music group of the 1960s. Their songs, a mixture of gospel, folk, soul, and rock, and their lyrics provided the soundtrack of the civil rights movement. The group's appearances with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., their collaborations with Bob Dylan, and their experiences touring the South during the '50s and early '60s are chronicled by Greg Kot after many hours of conversation with Mavis and her family. We're pleased to share this excerpt. -Lance Elko, Editor CHAPTER 13 "If he can preach it, we can sing it" ★ Pops Staples had first heard Martin Luther King speak on the radio in the 1950s and was moved by what he heard. A few years later, he would finally meet the man who was leading the march toward racial equality, a concept that once seemed absurdly out of reach when Pops was growing up on Dockery Farms in Mississippi. Pops called King to arrange a meeting in 1963, and was delighted to receive an invitation from the minister to attend an 11 a.m. Sunday service at the Dexter Avenue Church in Montgomery, Ala., where King was pastor. The Staples were in the midst of another tour, scheduled to play a show in Montgomery that same weekend. When they arrived at the church, King's wife, Coretta, was singing in the choir while cradling their newborn, Bernice. During the service, King formally welcomed Pops and his children to his church. Afterward, Pops and the leader of America's civil rights movement clasped hands as parishioners filed past to exit the church. They smiled and exchanged pleasantries, then turned earnest, huddled for several minutes with furrowed brows and conspiratorial voices in the back of the church. "We began to talk about the condition of the world and our people," Pops later said. "I said to him, 'Dr. King, you preach love, peace, and happiness all over the world. I strongly believe in what you are doing and the price you are willing to pay.' " King was familiar with the Staple Singers, and he saw a reflection of his values not only in the music the Staples performed but in the way Pops in particular spoke and carried himself. King mingled easily with his parishioners and neighbors, yet he radiated a confidence and dignity that made him a natural leader, said Doris Crenshaw, one of King's closest lieutenants, and a friend of the Staples family. In the same way, Pops was an "ordinary" man doing extraordinary things. He seemed approachable, humble, matter-of- Excerpted from I'll Take You There: Mavis Staples, the Staple Singers, and the March up Freedom's Highway. Copyright 2014 by Greg Kot. Reprinted by permission of Scribner, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. usairwaysmag.com FEBRUARY 2014 131 http://www.usairwaysmag.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