Photo by Greg McKean.
In the summer of 2011, Mavis Staples traveled to Woodstock, New York to perform with the Band's Levon Helm at his self-named studio. Today, the Chicago soul icon has announced that the recordings from the show will finally be released, a decade after Helm's 2012 passing at 71. Carry Me Home, the duo's final collaborative effort, will arrive May 20 via ANTI-. Along with the news, Staples has shared a video of her and Helm rehearsing the blues/gospel standard "You've Got To Move."
The album is both a celebration of Helm's life and oceanic body of work and a showcase of two late-career legends operating at peak potential, though technically well past their creative primes. In a statement, Staples reflected on their final moments together. “It never crossed my mind that it might be the last time we’d see each other,” she wrote. “He was so full of life and so happy that week. He was the same old Levon I’d always known, just a beautiful spirit inside and out.”
Helm's daughter Amy, who can be heard singing backing vocals in the Carry Me Home recordings, will join Staples to perform at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on the night of the album's release — part of BAM's Hanif Abdurraqib-curated spring concert series — and at the Dirt Farmer Festival in Accord, New York the following day. View both artists' upcoming tour dates below.
Mavis Staples 2022 tour
4/1 – Savannah, GA – Savannah Music Festival
4/14 – Beverly, MA – The Cabot
4/23 – Oxford, MS – Double Decker Festival 2022
4/24 – North Charleston, SC – High Water Fest 2022
4/28 – New Orleans, LA – Mardi Gras World
4/30 – Charlotte, NC – Tuck Fest
5/14 – Huntsville, AL – Orion Amphitheater
5/20 – Brooklyn, NY – BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music)$
5/21 – Accord, NY – Dirt Farmer Festival at Arrowood Farms$
5/28 – Toronto, Canada – Massey Hall
6/4 – Barcelona, Spain – Primavera Sound 2022
6/7 – Brussels, Belgium – Ancienne Belgique$
6/8 – Paris, France – La Cigale$
6/10 – Hilvarenbeek, Netherlands – Best Kept Secret 2022
6/11 – Kidlington, UK – Kite Festival 2022
6/13 - Stroud, UK – Subscription Rooms$
6/14 – Edinburgh, UK – Usher Hall$
6/16 – London, UK – Union Chapel$
6/17 – London, UK – Union Chapel$
6/19 – Newport, UK – Isle of Wight Festival
7/9 – Orillia, Canada – Mariposa Folk Festival
7/19 – Cincinnati, OH – The Andrew J. Brady Music Center%
7/20 – Huber Heights, OH – Rose Music Center at The Heights%
7/22 – Rochester Hills, MI – Meadow Brook Amphitheatre%
7/23 – Chicago, IL – Wrigley Field w/ Chris Stapleton
7/26 – Madison, WI – Overture Center for the Arts%
7/29 – Waite Park, MN – The Ledge Amphitheater%
7/30 – Sioux City, IA – Sioux City Orpheum%
8/2 – Lincoln, NE – Pinewood Bowl Amphitheater%
8/3 – Cedar Rapids, IA – McGrath Amphitheatre%
8/5 – St. Louis, MO – Fabulous Fox%
8/6 – Kansas City, MO – Starlight Theatre%
8/9 – Salina, KS – Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts%
8/11 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre%
8/14 – Boise, ID – Idaho Botanical Garden%
8/17 – Walla Walla, WA – Wine Country Amphitheater%
8/22 – Bend, OR – Hayden Homes Amphitheater%
8/23 – Eugene, OR – The Cuthbert Amphitheater%
8/26 – Troutdale, OR – McMenamins Edgefield %
9/17 – Napa, CA – Oxbow RiverStage%
9/18 – Berkeley, CA – The Greek Theatre Berkeley%
9/20 – Paso Robles, CA – Vina Robles Amphitheatre%
9/22 – Santa Barbara, CA – Santa Barbara Bowl%
9/24 – Los Angeles, CA – The Greek Theatre%
9/27 – San Diego, CA – The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park%
12/9 – Costa Mesa, CA – Segerstrom Center for the Arts
% - with Bonnie Raitt
$ - with Amy Helm
Amy Helm 2022 tour
3/17 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium^
3/19 – Knoxville, TN – Tennessee Theatre^
3/20 – Birmingham, AL – Alabama Theatre^
3/22 – Atlanta, GA – Atlanta Symphony Hall^
3/23 – Mobile, AL – Saenger Theatre Mobile^
3/25 – New Orleans, LA – Saenger Theatre^
3/26 – Houston, TX – 713 Music Hall^
3/27 – Dallas, TX – Magestic Theatre^
4/1 – Turners Falls, MA – Shea Theater Arts Center
4/2 – Earlville, NY – Earlville Opera House
4/3 – Rochester, NY – Louis S. Walk JCC of Greater Rochester
4/6 – New York, NY – Café Wha
4/8 – Plymouth, MA – Spire Center for Performing Arts
4/9 – Tabor, NJ – At The Tabernacle
4/19 – Richmond, VA – Carpenter Theatre^
4/20 – Virginia Beach, VA – Sandler Center for the Performing Arts^
4/21 – Durham, NC – Carolina Theater^
4/23 – Savannah, GA – Johnny Mercer Theatre^
4/25 – Jacksonville, FL – Florida Theatre^
4/26 – Augusta, GA – Miller Theater^
4/30 – Patchogue, NY – Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts
5/20 – Brooklyn, NY – BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music)$
5/21 – Accord, NY – Dirt Farmer Festival at Arrowood Farms$
5/28 – Frenchtown, NJ - Artyard
6/7 – Brussels, Belgium – Ancienne Belgique$
6/8 – Paris, France – La Cigale$
6/11 – Bristol, UK – Louisiana
6/13 – Stroud, UK – Subscription Rooms$
6/14 – Edinburgh, UK – Usher Hall$
6/16 – London, UK – Union Chapel$
6/17 – London, UK – Union Chapel$
6/20 – London, UK – St. Pancras Old Church
8/1 – Big Indian, NY – Roots Rock Revival 2022
^ - with Little Feat
$ - with Mavis Staples
