\n<\/p>\n
Pervis broke the news of Prince\u2019s death when she arrived to perform at Coachella. She wanted to go home, and cried until her set the next day. She delivered<\/a> <\/strong>an ebullient monologue onstage, calling him \u201cthe most beautiful spirit that I have ever met\u201d before teasing a bit of \u201cPurple Rain,\u201d the crowd clapping the rhythm. \u201cIt helped,\u201d she said. \u201cI have had a lot of hard times, good times, but I make it through. Things don\u2019t seem as hard as they used to.\u201d<\/p>\n She meant this only for herself. Though many conditions have improved since the days of \u201cWhy? (Am I Treated So Bad)\u201d or \u201cRespect Yourself,\u201d she lamented that progress was not linear. She scowled about the end of Roe v. Wade, was vexed by a string of women recently sucker-punched<\/a> in Manhattan, and lamented the Black mother and daughter in Georgia accused of voter fraud. She once thought singing could change the world, but she now believes that\u2019s na\u00efve.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m singing for me, too, to set my soul free and to feel better about how I\u2019m living,\u201d she said in a rush. \u201cIf y\u2019all don\u2019t want to hear it, get you some earmuffs. I\u2019m going to sing for as long as the Lord allows me. I ain\u2019t coming easy.\u201d<\/p>\n IN A CROWDED<\/strong> backstage room at the Los Angeles venue YouTube Theater in mid-April, Staples hovered above a birthday cake emblazoned with her face, wielding a chef\u2019s knife. For three hours, a dozen stars \u2014 including Raitt, Jackson Browne, Norah Jones, Chris Stapleton and Michael McDonald \u2014 had paraded onto the stage, mixing Staples\u2019s songs with stories about her. Though she won\u2019t turn 85 until July 10, her team had planned this birthday f\u00eate when retirement appeared imminent. She\u2019d had some cognac, so she was holding court.<\/p>\n \u201cEight-five might<\/em> be the new 35,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I tell you, I\u2019m having more fun than I\u2019ve ever had in my life. I got work to do, and I\u2019ll take all of y\u2019all with me.\u201d<\/p>\n She started talking about her parents and how they\u2019d picked cotton near Mound Bayou, Miss. When a voice echoed that tiny town\u2019s name, she knew it was Taj Mahal, the blues legend seated feet away in a wheelchair. They began flirting, singing childhood love songs back and forth and talking about getting spanked with switches. Staples and Mahal are two in a diminishing pool of performers still working in their 80s. The acolytes watched in stunned silence. \u201cThis has been the best birthday out of all of my birthdays,\u201d Staples said when the reverie broke. \u201cAnd right now, I will cut this cake.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n