Mavis Staples and Wilco leader Jeff Tweedy appeared on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert Thursday night. Together, they performed a rousing version of “Freedom Highway.” The song was originally recorded in 1965 by the Staple Singers, appearing on their album of the same name. Staples, Tweedy, and a full band played the song to a live audience at Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre, where Stephen Colbert has been hosting his show all week in conjunction with the 2024 Democratic National Convention. Check out the performance of “Freedom Highway” below.
While introducing Staples and Tweedy, Colbert noted that “Freedom Highway” was recorded over six decades ago “right here in Chicago.” He then welcomed Staples and Tweedy, whom he referred to as “two of my favorite Chicagoans.”
But Staples and Tweedy don’t just hail from the same city—they are longtime collaborators. In 2010, Tweedy produced and co-wrote Staples’ album You Are Not Alone, and they continued their work together on her 2013 follow-up, One True Vine.
In 2017, Staples and Tweedy released a joint LP titled If All I Was Was Black, a politically charged collection of songs they penned together. At at the start of the pandemic, they reconvened for the song “All in It Together.” Proceeds from that track went toward My Block, My Hood, My City—a Chicago organization that was helping senior citizens get the essentials they needed to combat the virus.
Staples issued her most recent single, “Worthy,” earlier this summer. Tweedy, meanwhile, will soon be touring the United States.
