Mavis Staples’ chaotic first meeting with Prince: “I’m going to kiss you”
When condensing the monumental legacy and impact of Mavis Staples, it’s easy to capture it in a singular endorsement from Bob Dylan. “I’ve always liked Mavis Staples ever since she was a little girl. She’s always been my favourite… she’s always had my favourite voice,” he once said. However, beyond such a welcomed glowing review, Staples was also an incredible visionary and activist whose power shouldn’t be overlooked.
Staples first tasted the big time in the mid-1950s with The Staple Singers after finding her footing in church performances and radio guest slots. Not only did her voice serve as a powerful call for change, but her resilience and defiance during a time when issues of race were encountering such a monumental transitionary period spoke to her unwavering character.
Standing beside leaders like Dr Martin Luther King Jr, Staples became one of the defining voices of the civil rights movement with songs and sounds that represented hope and charity amid times of struggle. While she was mentored by other industry-defining figures, like Mahalia Jackson, Staples also formed close relationships with some of the era’s more legendary contributors, like Dylan.
In Dylan’s eyes, Staples was central to one of the most magical groups in history, and he became endeared to her craft from day one. “They were the type of artists that I wanted recording my songs,” he said, prophesising the cover versions they would later release before appearing on stage with him as part of The Band’s The Last Waltz. For Staples, however, growing alongside such revered stars never got easy, especially as she foremost remained a fan before becoming a world-class artist herself.
“Cool went out the window. I had told my sisters I was going to be cool.”
mavis staples
And one of the most notable moments she proved as such was when she first met Prince. It was Staples’ father who first told her Prince wanted to meet her, and in true fashion, she felt inclined to believe it was all just a ruse. After a gentle push, however, she called Prince’s manager, Bob Cavallo, who told her Prince wanted him to sign her to his label. At first, she felt reluctant, mainly because she wasn’t sure they shared the same artistic vision. However, all of that composure went out the window the moment she saw him in person.
This first meeting occurred when Prince attended their show in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Bowl, and everything suddenly stopped when he came backstage. As Staples recalled to NPR: “When we got offstage, I looked up, and here come Prince in a white suit, white boots, white hat and a lucite cane… I mean, I screamed. Cool went out the window. I had told my sisters I was going to be cool.”
She continued: “But cool went out the window. I screamed, and then I told him, I said, Prince, let me kiss you only ’cause my mother wanted me to kiss you.”
Interestingly, she recalled Prince being so shy at first that she felt compelled to write legal pad notes to him to form a connection. However, he soon got over the initial trepidation, leading to a long-term, close-knit friendship. After all, it likely didn’t take much, especially as both had experienced the trials of working against a system built to break people down. And while Prince often adopted a hardened exterior, his art was just as worthy of attention, if not more, than many of his white peers.
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