HBO celebrated the life and musical legacy of music legend Mavis Staples at the NYC premiere of their documentary Mavis! last night (February 24th) at the Florence Gould Hall.
Prior to the screening guests were treated to a cocktail reception. Guest also had the opportunity to take pics to share in a special green room. The documentary which was produced and directed by Jessica Edwards, traces Staples’ journey from her Chicago roots performing with her father and siblings, to branching out as a solo artist and working with other esteemed music legends such as Prince. The documentary features Mavis performing and discussing her life, career and musical family as well as includes rare archival footage, and conversations with her friends and contemporaries including Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Levon Helm, Jeff Tweedy, Chuck D, and more. The documentary also explores Staples and her family’s connection with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement. Before being picked up by HBO the documentary was premiered at South by Southwest (SXSW) in 2015.
After the premiere screening, Staples took to the stage to perform songs from her latest album Livin’ on a High Note. Staples brought Valerie June onstage to perform “High Note”, and was joined onstage by The Late Night Show with Stephen Colbert band leader Jon Batiste as the special guest to close the evening with her signature tune “I’ll Take You There”.
Mavis! will premiere on HBO on February 29th at 8pm EST.
