'Your papers, please' must never be heard in America
In a story Feb. 22 about the death of singer Cleotha Staples, The Associated Press reported erroneously that Pervis Staples was a sister. He was a brother and performed with The Staple Singers until 1968.
Cleotha Staples, the eldest sibling in the highly influential gospel group The Staples Singers, has died. She was 78.
In a family of vocalists, it was Cleotha Staples' smooth and velvety voice that helped set apart the sound of the influential and best-selling gospel group The Staple Singers.
In a July 12 obituary for famed gospel singer Walter Hawkins, The Associated Press incorrectly reported his surviving siblings. Hawkins' brother is Edwin, not Walter. He also has four other siblings, according to family representative Bill Carpenter.
Carpenter said the sisters were vigilant caretakers of Cleotha, just as she had been when the sisters were younger.
"When Pops used to sit them in a circle and play music with them he was sort of feeding off of her voice," Carpenter said. "It was high in a light way, sort of soothing and velvety so his guitar playing bounced off of that."
