Saturday, February 18, 2006

The Soul of the Movement: Why?

The Staple Singers - Why (Am I Treated So Bad)

The Staple Singers are back on "Get on Down With the Stepfather of Soul" with today's selection. By the time the group recorded the Pops Staples-penned classic, the group had just signed to Epic and decided to expand beyond the gospel highway via "message songs," a move that would pay massive dividends in the early '70s with their recordings for Stax. "Why" features a very attractive groove, great lead vocals from Pops and strong group singing on the choruses. The chorus reflects both the sadness that segregation created but also the faith and optimism that change would come.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is this a Staples original song? I've only ever heard a version by Cannonball Adderley, circa the "Mercy Mercy Mercy" time period.

The Stepfather of Soul said...

This was a Staples original. Cannonball Adderly did a great version, and James Brown had an instrumental version on "The Popcorn" LP.