Annie and the Caldwells

Growing up, Annie Brown Caldwell was often asked why she wasn’t singing lead more often on songs by her family’s group, Staples Jr. Singers. Her vocal power was never in doubt: Her brothers could belt with soulful, raspy wails, but when Annie channeled Mavis Staples in their rendition of “Somebody Save Me,” she shook the rafters. Politely, Caldwell would respond to the question with, “In due time.” That was Annie’s life in the 1970s.