Obama lauds ‘powerhouse vocals’ of Kennedy honoree Mavis Staples

President Barack Obama praised the hunger for justice and the “powerhouse vocals” of Chicago singer Mavis Staples on the night when she and four other illustrious talents were celebrated as recipients of Kennedy Center Honors.

In remarks at a White House reception before Sunday night’s gala at the prestigious Washington theater, Obama noted the South Side origins of the Staple Singers, led by Mavis’ father “Pops” and featuring her siblings.

“Theirs was gospel with just a touch of country, a twist of the blues, little bit of funk. There was a little bit of sin with the salvation,” he said, drawing a laugh.

“Driven by Pops’ reverbed guitar, Mavis’ powerhouse vocals and the harmonies that only family can make, the Staple Singers broke new ground with songs like ‘Uncloudy Day.’ They had some truths to tell.”

The president also cited Staples’ solo work with artists including Bob Dylan, Prince and Jeff Tweedy. “On albums like ‘We’ll Never Turn Back,’ and ‘One True Vine,’ she still is singing for justice and equality, and influencing a new generation of musicians and fans,” he said. “And each soulful note — even in heartbreak and even in despair — is grounded in faith, and in hope, and the belief that there are better days yet to come.”

Later, at the Kennedy Center, Staples’ songs were performed by Elle King, Bonnie Raitt and Andra Day, and actor Don Cheadle spoke about the civil rights legacy of Staples and her family, who were close to Martin Luther King Jr. and performed at John F. Kennedy’s inauguration.

“She’s still fighting. She’s still singing freedom songs,” Cheadle said.

Also honored Sunday were actor Al Pacino, singer-songwriter James Taylor, music group the Eagles and pianist Martha Argerich. But the longest, loudest standing ovation of the gala went to the man sitting to their left, attending his eighth and most likely his last honors presentation: Obama.

The Kennedy Center Honors are in their 39th year, a period that has included six presidents— three Republicans, three Democrats — and all have taken time to welcome the recipients. But the 2016 election was noteworthy for the way A-list performers lined up behind Obama and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, while Trump had relatively few celebrity endorsements.

Although the president has no say in who receives the awards, host Stephen Colbert joked that next year’s honorees would include Trump associates Scott Baio, Gary Busey and Meat Loaf.

“For the past eight years, the White House has given us a leader who’s passionate, intelligent and dignified,” Colbert said, and the crowd rose for another prolonged ovation, prompting Obama to stand and wave.

“Sir, I don’t even know why you stood up. I was talking about Michelle,” Colbert said.

Another standing ovation went to Bill Clinton, who made a surprise appearance on stage to talk about how Taylor’s music resonated with him and the American public in times that tested the nation’s resolve.

“Our nation was reeling from the pain of Vietnam,” Clinton said. “James was there to satisfy our hunger for both intimacy and authenticity.”

Politics aside, the honors proceeded as usual, with musicians and actors taking the stage to pay tribute to the honorees, who stood on a balcony, waving and applauding as they wore the event’s signature rainbow-colored garlands. The ceremony will be broadcast Dec. 27 on CBS.

The tribute to Pacino included remarks by Sean Penn and recitations of Shakespeare by Laurence Fishburne and Lily Rabe. Chris O’Donnell and Gabrielle Anwar re-enacted the tango that Pacino danced with Anwar in “Scent of a Woman,” the 1992 movie that won Pacino his long-overdue Oscar.

Kevin Spacey gave a virtuoso tutorial on how to impersonate the actor whose passionate delivery has helped create some of the most memorable lines in American cinema. The keys are to look surprised and exhale loudly, Spacey said.

“Al seems to have a lot of air,” he said.

Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow and Darius Rucker performed medleys of Taylor’s music. Yitzhak Perlman played violin and Yuja Wang played piano to honor the Argentine-born Argerich.

The Eagles were originally selected to be honored last year, but the band opted to delay participation because of founding member Glenn Frey’s poor health. Frey died in January at age 67, making the event a bittersweet one for the surviving Eagles, who were joined by Frey’s widow, Cindy Frey. Henley has said the band will never perform again.

Bob Seger, Vince Gill and Kings of Leon performed the Eagles’ music on Sunday.

“I want to dedicate this evening to our brother Glenn,” Henley said as the band accepted its honors Saturday night at the State Department. “He was so much a part of our success. He was the driving force in this band. He believed in the American dream.”

The band’s longtime manager, Irving Azoff, sobbed as he raised a glass to Frey.

“For our Eagles family,” he said, “2016 couldn’t have had a harder beginning or a more appropriate ending.”

Contributing: Ben Nuckols, Associated Press