CHICAGO (AP) — Pervis Staples, whose tenor voice complimented his father’s and sisters’ in The Staple Singers, is dead at the age of 85. A spokesman for sister Mavis Staples said Wednesday that Pervis Staples died May 6 at his home in Dolton, Illinois. Staples sang gospel songs with his father, the guitar-playing Roebuck “Pops” Staples and sisters Mavis, Yvonne and Cleotha in Chicago churches. They gained a national following when they began recording for Vee Jay records in the 1950s and fame with the hits “Respect Yourself” and “I’ll Take You There.” Pervis’ last album with the group was their first for Stax Records, “Soul Folks in Action,” in 1968. He went on to manage the popular girl group The Emotions and operate a Chicago nightclub, Perv’s House.
