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In the '70s, a number of artists known for their excellent Gospel music, were starting to crossover into other genres...like soul, mainstream pop--and even reggae!
One of those groups was the Staple Singers--and it took a "Great Song of 1972 to help them do it!
"I'll Take You There" was written by Al Bell (born Alvertis Isbell), the President of Stax Records (The Staples' label), after his brother was shot to death.
After the funeral, in his grief, he could hear the song in his head--lyrics and all.
He tinkered with it quite a bit, and as a fan of Jamaican music, he incorporated a reggae song called "The Liquidator" by the Harry J. All Stars into the backing track. At that point, he took the song to the Staples.
Initially, lead singer Mavis Staples couldn't get into the song at all, but after talking at length with Al, she began to see (and hear) the message--and how it could apply to the Civil Rights Movement. In fact, she later said, "If Dr. Martin Luther King can PREACH this, we can SING it!"
And sing it she did--with help from her family and the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section! The message was hopeful, the hybrid Gospel/Soul\/Reggae style was catchy, and Mavis poured her soul into it.
People noticed.
The Billboard charts? The Staples took it there in 1972: #1 on both the Soul Chart and Hot 100!
The song was inducted to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999, and currently ranks at #236 on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time!"
"I'll Take You there" by The Staple Singers: a "Great--and iconic-- Song of the '70s!
The Liquidator:
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