Rhiannon Giddens, Mavis Staples, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Hurray for the Riff Raff

Mavis Staples began her career with her family group The Staple Sisters in 1950. Initially singing locally at churches and appearing on a weekly radio show, the Staples scored a hit in 1956 with 'Uncloudy Day' for the Vee-Jay label. In 1957 The Staple Singers took their music on the road led by family patriarch Roebuck "Pops" Staples on guitar and including vocals by Mavis and her siblings Cleotha, Yvonne, and Purvis.

They soon evolved from popular Gospel singers to become the most influential spirituality-based group in America. By the mid-1960s The Staple Singers, inspired by Roebuck's close friendship with Martin Luther King, Jr., became the spiritual and musical voices of the civil rights movement. The Staple Singers hit the Top 40 eight times between 1971 and 1975, including two No. 1 singles, 'I'll Take You There' and 'Let's Do It Again' and a No. 2 single 'Who Took the Merry Out of Christmas?'.

Mavis branched out from the group during their successful career to release solo recordings. Her first solo single while at Epic Records with The Staple Singers was 'Crying in the Chapel' which received moderate attention in the late 1960s. The single was later included in a collated album released in 1994 by Sony Music called 'Lost Soul'. Her first solo album came almost ten years later in 1969, she followed this self titled album in quick succession with 'Only for the Lonely' in 1970. A 1984 album (also self-titled) preceded two albums under the direction of rock star Prince; 1989's 'Time Waits for No One' and 1993's 'The Voice', which People magazine named one of the Top Ten Albums of 1993.

Carpenter was given her first guitar by her mother, who had picked up the instrument during the 1960s folk explosion, passing down the instrument to allow her daughter’s enthusiasm for music to flourish. Carpenter played music throughout her high school years, but it was a move to Washington D.C., US, that sparked further interest in a music career, having become involved with the city’s folk scene in the mid-‘70s. After travelling round Europe for a year, Carpenter returned to study at Brown University, where she graduated as an American Civilisation major.

After graduating, Carpenter became more and more involved with the local folk scene, soon developing her repertoire and teaming up with guitarist John Jennings. The demo tapes landed Carpenter an audition with Columbia Records in 1987, who soon signed the young starlet to their roster. Before long, “Hometown Girl,” her debut album was released. “State of the Heart” followed in 1989, which garnered Carpenter a growing fan base, bolstered by her two Top Ten singles in “Never Had It So Good” and “Quittin’ Time.”

This success was in defiance of country radio stations’ reluctance to play her songs that were often progressive and dealing with feminist subject matters. Yet with “Shooting Straight in the Dark,” this was about to change, and Carpenter broke down barriers that soon led to her breakthrough success in 1992 with “Come on Come On.” Her country-folk found huge popularity this time around, earning her a string of Top Ten hits, as well as the number one “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her,” eventually selling over two million copies of her fourth record.

“Stones In the Road” in 1994 almost equaled this success, whilst her following releases continued to find critical acclaim and high sales figures. In 2004, “Between Here and Gone” featured the addition of pianist Matt Rollings, with Carpenter again changing tact through her festive release, “Come Darkness, Come Light: Twelve Songs of Christmas” in 2008. Always progressing, 2012’s “Ashes and Roses” featured a collection of songs entirely self-written, later pushing boundaries in 2013 when she teamed up with Grammy-winning arranger Vince Mendoza, creating an orchestral albums of songs from her back-catalog.

Puerto Rican-born Alynda Lee Segarra left home at 17 after being raised by her aunt Nereida in the Bronx, where she took a keen interest in the hardcore punk scene. Upon leaving New York, Segarra hitchhiked and hopped freight trains across North America, later joining a collective of train-yard musicians, the Dead Man’s Street Orchestra. Playing a banjo a close friend gave to her, the musician soon began penning her own songs, and alongside core members Yosi Pearlstein (drummer/violinist) and David Maclay (bass) formed Hurray for the Riff Raff.

Utilising myriad experiences on the road and rails, as well as a wide spectrum of musical influences, Hurray for Riff Raff issued their debut album “It Don’t Mean I Don’t Love You” in 2008. The self-released album, which featured a host of accordion, guitar, organ and saw players, highlights Segarra's wavering country vocals and folk-blues accompaniment. The band’s follow-up, “Young Blood Blues”, was similarly self-released and arrived in 2010. Following the release Hurray for the Riff Raff signed with Loose Music, who issued a self-titled album of Segarra’s favourite tracks in 2011. The group’s profile was subsequently raised with features on BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music, along with the HBO TV series “Treme”.

Released on their own label Born to Win Records in the U.S. and on Loose Music in Europe, Hurray for the Riff Raff’s third album “Look Out Mama” appeared in 2012. Recorded at The Bomb Shelter Studios in Nashivlle, Tennessee, the record proved a popular release among fans and earned a string of positive reviews. The band’s subsequent release was the cover album “My Dearest Darkest Neighbor” issued by Mod Mobilian Records in July 2013. Initially the reward for contributing to the group’s Kickstarter campaign, the record features covers of tracks by Billie Holiday, Gillian Welch, John Lennon, and Lucinda Williams among others. Led by the single “St. Roch Blues”, Hurray for the Riff Raff’s major label debut on ATO Records arrived in February 2014 entitled “Small Town Heroes”.