Mavis Staples

Mavis Staples playing 80th birthday shows at Apollo, Ryman & LA

The legendary Mavis Staples is turning 80 this year, and her music is just as lively and relevant as ever. She’ll celebrate her birthday with a series of Newport Folk-presented shows taking place at three historic venues: Harlem’s Apollo Theater on May 9, Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium on May 15, and LA’s Theatre at Ace Hotel on May 22. Each show will have special guests, and proceeds from the shows “will go directly towards extending the Newport Festivals Foundation’s support of music education programs in New York, Nashville and Los Angeles.”

“I must be the happiest girl in the world,” Mavis said. “After all this time, I still do what I love … I never thought I would still be singing at my age, and people seem to really want to hear me, they know me, they give me love—I’m just overwhelmed, really. I thank God every night before I go to bed and then again every morning for waking up.”

Tickets for The Apollo, The Ryman, and Ace Hotel go on sale Friday (2/15) at 10 AM local time, with various presales starting beforehand.

Mavis also has other upcoming tour dates, including Willie Nelson’s Luck Reunion (where she is also being honored with covers of her music by other artists on the bill), a Red Rocks show with Norah Jones, a show at Philly’s Mann Center with Brandi Carlile, and more. All dates are listed below.

Her new live album Live In London just came out last week. Stream it and watch the video for her cover of Talking Heads’ “Slippery People” below.

Mavis Staples — 2019 Tour Dates
2/21 – Paducah, KY – Clemens Fine Arts Center
2/22 – Robinsonville, MS – Horseshoe Tunica Hotel & Casino
2/24 – Prior Lake, MN – Mystic Lake Casino Hotel w/ Buddy Guy
3/14 – Luck, TX – Luck Reunion at Willie Nelson’s Ranch
3/22 – Jackson, MS – Thalia Mara Hall
3/29 – Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Resort & Casino
4/13 – Decatur, GA – Amplify Decatur Music Festival
4/18 – 4/21 – Byron Bay, Australia – Byron Bay Bluesfest
4/23 – Auckland, New Zealand – The Civic w/ Tami Neilson
5/2 – New Orleans, LA – New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
5/9 – New York, NY – Apollo Theater
5/15 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
5/22 – Los Angeles, CA – The Theatre at Ace Hotel
5/31 – Ogden, UT – Ogden Music Festival
6/23 – Dublin, Ireland – Olympia Theatre
6/25 – Norrmalm, Sweden – Nalen
6/27 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Theater Carré
7/16 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheater with Norah Jones
8/3 – Lagrange, GA – Sweetland Amphitheatre at Boyd Park
9/6 – Philadelphia, PA – Mann Center for the Performing Arts w/ Brandi Carlile