Mavis Staples was only a teenager when her family group, the Staple Singers, started performing, and it hardly seemed possible that such a soulful voice could emerge from her young frame. Led by their father, “Pops,” Mavis and her siblings moved audiences with their gospel music and helped inspire the civil rights movement through song. When styles shifted, so did their sound, though its spiritual essence was never lost. Featuring intimate stories and a collection of breathtaking performances, both past and present, Mavis! charts the singer’s incredible career and makes space for the music to speak for itself. We witness Mavis’s deep ties to family; though she now performs on her own, her sister Yvonne still travels with her wherever she goes. Artists like Bonnie Raitt and Bob Dylan tip their hat to Mavis’s influence, and collaborator Jeff Tweedy of Wilco reveals the inspiration he’s found in her work. After 60 years of performing, this civil rights icon and pioneering vocalist is making the most vital music of her career, and we need her message of equality now more than ever.  ST