Friday Night Throwback: The Staple Singers - "Respect Yourself"

A product of Roebuck "Pops" Staples, the Staple Singers, which consisted of Roebuck's son Pervis and daughters Mavis, Yvonne, and Cleotha, signed with the Memphis Soul label Stax Records in 1968, where they found success after languishing at Epic. "Respect Yourself" was written by the Stax songwriter Mack Rice and one of their artists, Luther Ingram. They wrote the song after a discussion where Ingram said to Rice, "Black folk need to respect themselves." Rice decided to turn the idea into a song, and quickly cut a demo. He didn't think it was right for The Staple Singers, but Stax vice-president Al Bell did, stating, "I heard that lyric and I heard that melody and I said, 'that's it. This is the song I've been waiting on.'" The song, from their 1971 album Be Altitude: Respect Yourself, became a crossover hit, with the Staple Singers' version peaking at #1 on KHJ, #12 on the Hot 100, #2 on the Hot Soul Singles chart, and is one of the group's most recognizable hits.