January 20, 2009

• Enjoy complementary Valentine chocolates, pre-show party

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Alys Stephens Center presents Mavis Staples at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14, at the Alys Stephens Center, 1200 10th Ave. S., Birmingham. Continue the experience and enjoy a 7 p.m. pre-show party with Valentine chocolates. Tickets are $45, $35 and $25; student tickets are $20. This show is part of the Protective Life Corp. Eclectic Palate Series. Sponsors are WBHM, The Birmingham News, UAB and Viva Health. Call 205-975-2787 or visit www.AlysStephens.org.

This soul and gospel legend possesses one of the most recognizable and treasured voices in contemporary music. From her early days sharing lead vocals with her groundbreaking family group, The Staple Singers, to her powerful solo recordings, Staples is an inspirational force in modern popular culture and music. Staples has blazed an R&B trail without leaving her gospel roots. She is a Lifetime Grammy winner, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member and one of VH1's 100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll. Her rich, raspy vocals have influenced artists from Bob Dylan to Prince. She has appeared with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Bill Cosby, presidents Kennedy, Carter and Clinton, Janis Joplin, Pink Floyd, Santana, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and has recorded with Bob Dylan, Los Lobos, Aretha Franklin, Marty Stuart and many others. Her new CD, "Have A Little Faith," is a stirring collection of uplifting, gospel-rooted songs deeply seated in her faith and spirituality.

USA Today said of Staples: "There are voices that never lose their resonance, and songs that never lose their relevance. Staples delivers both."