Staples Jr. Singers

★★★ When Do We Get Paid LUAKA BOP. CD/DL/LP

Rare 1975 gospel album from the recently re-formed Aberdeen, MS vocal group. The Staples Jr. Singers were a family trio who formed in 1971 in Aberdeen, Mississippi. They were incredibly young when they started – leader Annie Brown [now Caldwell] was just 11; her siblings A.R.C. 12, and Edward 13. Named after their chief influence the Staple Singers, with other touchstones including Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye, they sung gospel and of the civil rights struggle. By the time they recorded their sole album in Tupelo in 1975, they had recruited Ronnel Brown who was 10. Pressing just a handful of copies, they sold them at their shows and to neighbours from their front lawn. They clearly had gumption and their songs, switching from deadly solemnity to dancing-in-the-aisles jubilation, are testament to that.