>> Stephen: PLEASE WELCOME THE ONE, THE ONLY, THE GREAT MAVIS
STAPLES!
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE) >> Stephen: I LOVE YOU, TOO!
PLEASE HAVE A SEAT!
>> WHOA!
>> Stephen: IT'S ALWAYS SO NICE TO SEE YOU!
>> IT'S SUCH A PLEASURE.
>> Stephen: YOU ARE SUCH A BUNDLE OF JOY.
YOU BRING SO MUCH HAPPINESS TO PEOPLE.
NOT JUST BY YOUR SING BUT JUST BY YOURSELF.
WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT HAPPINESS COMES FROM?
>> IT'S JUST IN ME.
JUST THE JOY IN ME.
I NEVER LET IT GO.
>> Stephen: FOR THE PEOPLE WHO MAY NOT KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT
YOUR CAREER, YOU STARTED OFF AS ONE OF THE STAPLE SINGERS.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: AND YOUR FAMILY AND YOU GUYS USED TO OPEN FOR
DR. KING, RIGHT?
>> WE DID.
>> Stephen: WHAT WAS THAT LIKE?
>> IT WAS GREAT.
WE TRAVELED WITH DR. KING FOR YEARS.
WE WOULD SING BEFORE HE WOULD SPEAK.
>> Stephen: REALLY?
AND HE HAD A SONG THAT TURNED OUT TO BE HIS FAVORITE.
>> Stephen: WHAT WAS THAT?
"WHY AM I TREATED SO BAD," AND POPS WROTE THAT SONG FOR THE
"LITTLE ROCK NINE."
THERE WERE NINE BLACK CHILDREN IN LITTLE ROCK TRYING TO
INTEGRATE CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL, AND POPS WOULD WATCH THESE KIDS,
MY AGE -- I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL AT THE TIME -- AND THEY WOULD
WALK EVERY MORNING PROUD, HEADS HIGH, HAVE THEIR BOOKS AND THEY
WOULD WALK INTO A MOB OF PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, THROWING ROCKS AT
THEM, SPAT UPON, CALLING THEM NAMES, BUT THEY KEEP ON WALKING.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE) >> Stephen: HOW OLD WERE YOU
WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED TO SING?
>> I WAS EIGHT YEARS OLD.
>> Stephen: EIGHT YEARS OLD?
MM-HMM.
>> Stephen: DO YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST SONG THAT YOU LEARNED?
>> YES.
>> Stephen: WHAT WAS IT?
♪ WHOA, THEY TELL ME ♪ ♪ OF A HOME ♪
♪ WHERE NO STORM CLOUD RISE ♪ "UNCLOUDY DAY."
>> Stephen: WOW.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE) I THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE
LIKE MARY HAD A LITTLE LAM OR SOMETHING.
YOU STARTED OUT PRETTY ADVANCE.
>> YES, I DID.
I SKIPPED AHEAD.
(LAUGHTER) THAT WAS THE VERY FIRST SONG
THAT MY FAMILY SANG.
>> Stephen: OH, OKAY.
MY FATHER TAUGHT US AS A GROUP.
BUT MY VERY FIRST SONG IS ♪ ♪ A TURKEY IS A FUNNY BIRD ♪
♪ WOBBLE, WOBBLE, WOBBLE ♪ (LAUGHTER)
>> Stephen: THAT'S MORE MY SPEED.
♪ AND ALL HE KNOWS IS JUST ONE WORD ♪
♪ GOBBLE, GOBBLE, GOBBLE ♪ >> Stephen: COULD HAVE BEEN A
HIT!
(APPLAUSE) YOU MOVED FROM GOSPEL TO SOUL,
EVENTUALLY.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOSPEL AND SOUL?
WHAT DID YOU HAVE TO CHANGE ABOUT THE WAY YOU SANG TO GO
FROM ONE TO THE NEXT?
>> WE DIDN'T SWITCH.
WHAT HAPPENED WAS, MY SISTERS AND MY BROTHER SANG WITH MY
FATHER FOR YEARS WITH JUST POPS' GI STAR.
WHEN WE WENT TO STACKS RECORDS, SOMEBODY HAD THE IDEA TO PUT A
RHYTHM SECTION BEHIND US.
WHEN WE RECORDED "I'LL TAKE YOU THERE," THAT BEAT -- AND
EVERYONE WOULD HIT THE FLOOR, EVEN THE CHURCH PEOPLE.
CHURCH PEOPLE HIT THE FLOOR.
(LAUGHTER) SO THEY STARTED SAYING, THEM
STAPLE SINGERS, THEY SINGING THE DEVIL'S MUSIC.
(LAUGHTER) I DID SO MANY INTERVIEWS, I HAD
TO LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT THE DEVIL AIN'T GOT NO MUSIC.
THE DEVIL AIN'T GOT NO MUSIC.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE) >> Stephen: NOW, YOU'VE GOT A
NEW ALBUM.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: ON THE ALBUM, YOU'RE WORKING WITH MY FRIEND
JON OVER HERE ON ONE OF THE SONGS.
WHAT'S HE LIKE TO WORK WITH?
>> OH, HE'S BEAUTIFUL!
HE DIDN'T GIVE NO PRUBL.
>> Stephen: NO TROUBLE AT ALL!
(LAUGHTER) >> HE TOLD ME, MAVIS, HOWEVER
YOU WANT TO SING IT, SING IT.
HE WROTE A BEAUTIFUL SONG, IT'S CALLED "TOMORROW."
TOMORROW IS ANOTHER DAY.
YOU KNOW,.
♪ I'VE GOT SOMETHING THAT I REALLY WANT TO SAY ♪
♪ SOMETIMES THINGS JUST WON'T GO YOUR WAY ♪
♪ DON'T GIVE UP ♪ ♪ TOMORROW IS ANOTHER DAY ♪
>> Stephen: WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH A PERFORMANCE BY MAVIS
STAPLES, PREMIERING ON HBO FEBRUARY 29.
STICK AROUND FOR THE PERFORMANCE, Y'ALL!
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK!