Photo by Eliza Grace Martin.
David Byrne's label Luaka Bop Records announced today that they will reissue When Do We Get Paid, a little-known 1975 gospel album by the Staples Jr. Singers — no relation to Mavis and Co. — on May 6.
Formed in 1971 when Annie, A.R.C., and Edward Brown were 11, 12, and 13, the Staples Jr. Singers were a family band. They played talent shows and then clubs as their reputation grew, traveling from their native Aberdeen, Mississippi across the Bible Belt to showcase their soulful gospel sound. They recorded their first and only album, When Do We Get Paid, in Tupelo, MS, selling its limited run of copies at shows and on their lawn.
Though members of the band would go on to have successful gospel careers of their own, When Do We Get Paid remains the only album they made as a group. To promote the newly announced reissue, the label has shared its title track, along with a video in which the surviving trio introduce themselves and tell their story.
Listen and watch below.