Mavis Staples has just put out her own take on Frank Ocean’s “Godspeed,” and it’s something special.
With Brad Cook helping out as producer and Kara Jackson adding her spoken word, this cover isn’t just a copy—it has its own feeling. She’s dropping this song and letting everyone know she’s going on tour too, with stops all over North America and Europe for both festivals and her own shows. If you’re curious, you can find her “Godspeed” version and the list of places she’ll be playing down below.
“Channel Orange was my first introduction to Frank Ocean and I was just amazed at the writing and soulfulness coming from his voice,” she shared, sounding excited. “And I loved Blonde when that record came out. That first line in ‘Godspeed’ of ‘I will always love you’ just crushes me every time I hear it… or sing it. It’s just such a beautiful song and he sounds amazing on it so I was a little nervous if we could pull it off. I was honored to sing his words.”
Before this, Mavis teamed up with Levon Helm for the album Carry Me Home in 2022. She also got on stage with Jeff Tweedy last year on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert to sing “Freedom Highway” for the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
Fans think it’s cool when artists cover songs they really love.
Here’s where you can catch her live, if you don’t mind a road trip or two (or three, or…):
06-21 Ottawa, Ontario – Ottawa Jazz Festival
06-23 Toronto, Ontario – Toronto Jazz Festival
06-26 Montreal, Quebec – Montreal Jazz Festival
06-28 Knoxville, TN – Bijou Theatre
06-29 Brevard, NC – Brevard Music Center
07-05 Sioux City, IA – Saturday in the Park
07-13 Winnipeg, Manitoba – Winnipeg Folk Festival
07-18 Detroit, MI – Concert of Colors
07-20 Columbus, OH – Jazz & Rib Fest
07-22 Cincinnati, OH – Memorial Hall
08-02 Notodden, Norway – Notodden Blues Festival
08-05 Utrecht, Netherlands – TivoliVredenburg
08-07 Gothenburg, Sweden- Way Out West
08-10 San Jose, CA – San Jose Jazz Summer Fest
08-22 Winston-Salem, NC – The Ramkat
08-23 Rocky Mount, VA – Harvester Performance Center
08-25 Ocean City, NJ – Ocean City Music Pier
09-11 Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up Tavern
09-13 Napa, CA – Blue Note Summer Sessions
10-04 Memphis, TN – Mempho Fest
10-09 Tucson, AZ – Fox Theatre
10-12 Chandler, AZ – Chandler Center for the Arts
