I’ll Take You There took them to the top of the charts

June 3, 1972 –
The Staple Singers’ song, I’ll Take You There, hits #1 as the group makes a successful transition from gospel to secular music.

This was the first of two #1 hits for the Staple Singers, the other is Let’s Do It Again. The Staple Singers were among the first groups to move from gospel to inspirational soul music. Said lead singer Mavis Staples: “When we heard Dr. Martin Luther King preach, we said, ‘If he can preach this, we can sing it.‘”