Mavis Staples will be joining none other than Bob Dylan for a series of North American concert dates this summer. As is, it’s been an exhilarating few months for the soul and gospel legend with the release of her critically heralded new album Livin’ On A High Note and the premiere of the documentary MAVIS! on HBO.
Mavis and Dylan have a long and storied history. The two initially met at a gospel concert in New York in 1962 and taped a TV special together the following year. The Staple Singers were the very first African American artists to cover a Dylan song with their release of “Blowin’ in the Wind” in 1963. Staples and Dylan both appeared at the historic 1963 Newport Folk Festival and The Band’s Last Waltz in 1978.
Bob Dylan said in a recent interview of first hearing Mavis and The Staple Singers as a teenager, “One night, I remember listening to the Staple Singers, “Uncloudy Day.” And it was the most mysterious thing I’d ever heard. It was like the fog rolling in. What was that? How do you make that? It just went through me. I managed to get an LP, and I’m like, “Man!” I looked at the cover, and I knew who Mavis was without having to be told. She looked to be about the same age as me. Her singing just knocked me out.”
Tickets for most shows will be on sale later this month.
Mavis Staples (supporting Bob Dylan) Dates:
June 4-5 – Woodinville, WA – Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery
June 7 – Eugene, Oregon – Cuthbert Amphitheater
June 9 – Berkeley, CA – Greek Theatre
June 11 – Santa Barbara, CA – Santa Barbara Bowl
June 13 & 14 – San Diego, CA – Humphreys Concerts By The Bay
June 16 – Los Angeles, CA – Shrine Auditorium
June 19 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
June 21 – Kansas City, MO – Starlight Theatre
June 22 – Lincoln, NE – Pinewood Bowl Theater
June 24 – Highland Park, IL – Ravinia Festival
June 25 – Indianapolis, IN – Farm Bureau Insurance Lawn at White River State Park
June 26 – Nashville, TN – Carl Black Chevy Woods Amphitheater
June 28 – Kettering, OH – Fraze Pavilion
June 29 – Toledo, OH – Toledo Zoo Amphitheatre
June 30 – Lewiston, NY – Artpark
July 2 – Lenox, MA – Tanglewood
July 3 – Mashantucket, CT – Foxwoods Resort Casino
July 5 & 6 – Vienna, VA – Wolf Trap
July 8 – Queens, NY – Forest Hills Stadium
July 12 – Canandaigua, NY – CMAC
July 13 – Philadelphia, PA – The Mann Center
July 14 – Boston, MA – Blue Hills Bank Pavilion
July 16 – Portland, ME – Thompson’s Point
July 17 – Gilford, NH – Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
