Funeral services have been confirmed for Cleotha ‘Cleedi’ Staples (a founding member of the pioneering folk-gospel group, The Staple Singers), who died of complications of Alzheimer’s disease, on the morning of February 21, 2013.
“We will keep on,” Mavis Staples says of her sisters’ death. “Yvonne and I will continue singing to keep our father’s legacy and our sister’s legacy alive. I just finished my second record with Jeff Tweedy, and it will be dedicated to my dear Cleedi’s memory.”
The viewing takes place Thursday February 28, at Leak & Sons Funeral Home, Chicago, IL. The funeral service takes place Friday March 1, at Trinity United Church of Christ, Chicago, IL. Ms. Staples will be buried in the Staples family plot alongside her father, Roebuck “Pops” Staples; her mother, Oceola Staples; and her sister, Cynthia Staples.’
The Staple Singers burst on the national scene in 1956 with the Vee Jay Records hit ”If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again.” With Pops’ blues-influenced guitar, Cleotha’s bright high notes, Pervis’ falsetto and Mavis rich contralto, they were on their way to stardom. They became one of the biggest gospel outfits of the era and turned out best-selling gospel classics such as “On My Way To Heaven,” “Will The Circle Be Unbroken,” “Don’t Knock,” ”Pray On” and their signature hit, “Uncloudy Day,” generally accepted to be the first gospel record to sell one million copies.
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article courtesy of BreatheCast.com
Up-Date: Funeral Details Announced For Rock & Roll Hall Of Famer Cleotha Staples was originally published on praisecleveland.com
