Like Howlin Wolf, Pops Staples was a heavyweight in the Chicago Blues scene with roots deep in the Mississippi Delta. Born and raised near Dockery Farms, Roebuck Staples learned to play his instrument at Charley Patton’s feet, picking up technique and musicianship from the older and popular bluesman. He later said about Charley’s playing, “That sold me on guitar,” he recalled. “My greatest ambition was then to play and record.”
Pops brought a blues influence to Gospel and R&B, and became one of the most respected and honored musicians in those genres.