Mavis Staples joins lineup for Heritage Theatre’s 20th anniversary

‘Whose Line’ comedians close out Campbell venue’s season.

Before three-time Grammy winner Mavis Staples takes the Heritage Theatre stage in May for a show celebrating the Campbell venue’s 20th anniversary, four-time Grammy winner Jimmie Vaughan and his Tilt-A-Whirl Band are set to play the Heritage on Saturday, April 6.

Throughout his career, Vaughan has been on a constant quest to play the blues, whether it was in early 1970s Austin bands like Storm and the Fabulous Thunderbirds, or later with brother Stevie Ray Vaughan on their “Family Style” album and on his own releases throughout the 1990s and in 2001.

His latest release, 2019’s “Baby, Please Come Home,” brought him back into the spotlight with another Grammy nomination and a Blues Foundation Award for Best Male Artist.

In addition to her trio of Grammys, Staples, who rose to fame as a member of her family’s band The Staple Singers, is also a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner.

She is both a Blues and a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, a National Arts Awards Lifetime Achievement recipient and a Kennedy Center honoree. She was named one of the ”100 Greatest Singers of all Time” by Rolling Stone.

With songs like “I’ll Take You There” and “Respect Yourself,” Staples has also earned recognition as a civil rights icon.

“I’m the messenger,” Staples said on the eve of her 80th birthday. “That’s my job—it has been for my whole life—and I can’t just give up while the struggle’s still alive. We’ve got more work to do, so I’m going to keep on getting stronger and keep on delivering my message every single day.”

Now 84, Staples recently released “We Get By,” her 12th studio album and first full-length collaboration with multi-Grammy Award winner Ben Harper.

Closing out the 2023-24 season on Thursday, May 23, are improv comedians Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood from “Whose Line is it Anyway?” In “Scared Scriptless” Mochrie and Sherwood will make up original scenes, songs and more based on suggestions from audience members, some of whom might be pressed into performing with them.

Tickets are $65-$85 at 408-866-2700 or HeritageTheatre.org.

All performances are at 8 p.m. at the Heritage Theatre, located at the Campbell Community Center at 1 W. Campbell Ave.