The Staples Singers Box Set Announced by Stax

Stax/Concord Music Group will release the first-ever comprehensive, career-spanning overview of the Staple Singers, one of the most important American musical acts of the 20th century.  Due out November 13, this limited edition 4-CD box set—titled Faith and Grace: A Family Journey 1953-1976—also includes a very special bonus: the earliest known recording of the gospel, soul and R&B group, housed on a 7" vinyl record, marking the first time that this track has been available in any format since the Staples' self-released edition of 500.

Housed in a deluxe, old-school "45-folio" package, the accompanying book features new liner notes by Mavis Staples, James Miller, Opal Louis Nations and compilation producer Joe McEwen, as well as rarely seen photos of the family band taken over the course of their career.

The long-lost recordings embodied on the 7" record, "Faith and Grace" and "These Are They," are the earliest known recordings of the Staple Singers and were made in a friend of Pops Staples' basement in Chicago in 1953. These have never before been commercially available in any format except the 500 or so copies the Staples pressed themselves on 78-RPM records. The box set also contains the live recording "Medley: Too Close/I'm On My Way Home/I'm Coming Home/He's Alright [Live]." This live performance from 1960 Clarksdale, Mississippi has never before been available in its entirety.