Mavis Staples with special guest Jon Cleary

Mavis Staples

Mavis Staples began performing with The Staple Singers, her family’s gospel and rhythm band, at age eight.  Over time she has become one of the most respected and loved musicians in the world.  She holds a Lifetime Achievement Grammy, an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music, the “Spirit of Americana” Free Speech Award, she is a Kennedy Center Honoree and an NEA National Heritage Fellow, and has earned a place in the Rock & Roll, Gospel and Blues Halls of Fame.  But Mavis has been more than a thrilling singer; she stood alongside Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights movement, where her voice served as a rallying cry for the country.  She has performed for Presidents Kennedy and Obama, and is the subject of an award winning documentary film (Mavis!, 2015).  At age eighty-five she is still performing concerts for large audiences and sharing her message of love, faith, and justice.  In Summer 2024, Mavis released the children’s book “Bridges Instead of Walls: The Story of Mavis Staples”.  
 

Jon Cleary

British born New Orleans funk savant Jon Cleary is a virtuosic keyboardist, profoundly expressive vocalist, distinctive songwriter, and GRAMMY® winner.  His music pays homage to and proudly fills the void left behind by such Crescent City icons as Jelly Roll Morton, Fats Domino, Professor Longhair, Art Neville, James Booker and others.  He has toured the world with the likes of Taj Mahal, John Scofield, Dr. John, Bonnie Raitt, and has led his own R&B/soul group the Absolute Monster Gentlemen for over two decades now.