Staple Singers | Songs For an Uncloudy Day | Vinyl

This Acrobat Records compilation collects 16 gospel and gospel-blues recordings the Chicago-based Staple Singers cut in the 1950s and early 1960s, the period that established the family group as one of gospel’s most distinctive vocal units. The performances are built around Roebuck ‘Pops’ Staples’ spare, echo-drenched electric guitar and close family harmonies, with a teenage Mavis Staples’ deep, powerful alto already turning heads. Highlights include the title staple ‘Uncloudy Day,’ ‘Swing Low Sweet Chariot,’ and ‘Will the Circle Be Unbroken,’ songs that trace a direct line from Delta blues to the family’s later Stax-era soul and civil-rights-movement recordings. This period of the Staple Singers’ catalog is frequently cited by scholars and musicians as a foundational bridge between traditional gospel and modern soul music.

Track List

Side A

1. It Rained Children
2. Uncloudy Day
3. Help Me Jesus
4. Going Away
5. Tell Heaven
6. I Just Can’t Keep It to Myself
7. This May Be the Last Time
8. Will the Circle Be Unbroken

Side B

1. Pray On
2. Don’t Knock
3. Swing Low Sweet Chariot
4. I’m So Glad
5. Stand By Me
6. Hammer and Nails
7. Great Day
8. New-born Soul

Release Details

• UPC: 0824046162429
• Label: ACROBAT
• Format: LP Vinyl — Standard
• Genre: Gospel/Christian
• Release Date: 9/8/2023