"Man, that was a looong time ago", Mavis laughed. "'Boy Meets Girl' was an album compiled of all of the female and the male Stax people. I don't recall much of it, but I do remember singing with William Bell, because they played the song we did, 'Strung Out', quite a bit on the radio." The idea for "Boy Meets Girl" was then Stax Executive Vice-President All Bell's, who also produced "That's The Way Love Is", a wonderful uptempo duet Mavis cut with Johnnie Taylor. Playing behind the couple were Isaac Hayes (organ), Rufus Thomas's son Marvell (piano), Bobby Manuel (keyboards), plus Bar-Kays members Michael Toles (guitar), James Alexander (bass) and Willie Hall (drums).

Starting out as a Gospel group in the fifties, the Staple Singers had by 1968 -the year they signed with Stax- already started to record Protest songs. By the end of 1969, the tight-knit family had released two albums; "Soul Folk In Action" and "We'll Get Over", which included "The Weight", "Long Walk To D.C" and "When Will We Be Paid". Both sets were produced by Steve Cropper, who was also selected to work with Mavis. There was just one slight problem. Direction. "They said 'nobody really knows how to produce you, Mavis. Nobody knows where to take you'." The end result was that Mavis was given pretty much free hands to choose the material. "Most of those songs on that album are songs that I loved, from hearing them on the radio. At the time, I was in love with Joe Simon's 'The Choking Kind'. Actually, if you listen closely, you can hear that I didn't know all the words to 'The Choking Kind', so I left some stuff out. But I don't think anyone noticed it but me (laughs). I like 'Security'. I've always loved to hear Etta James do that song. I chose 'Son Of A Preacher Man' because I was in love with a real son of a preacher man. Guess who it was? Cecil Franklin, Aretha Franklin's brother! (Laughs) then the Sam Cooke song 'You Send Me' is another favorite. I slowed that one down."

It was Steve Cropper who suggested an Otis Redding cover to Mavis and she selected "Good to Me". Recording the album wasn't an easy task for the then 29-year old Mavis. She still remembers how Steve had to comfort her. "I was kind of shaky, because back then, the family was still singing Gospel songs. I didn't know how the public was going to accept the fact that I was singing these secular songs. Doing that was a no-no. I didn't feel it in my heart that it was a no-no, so that's why I went on and did it, but Steve Cropper had to hold my hand on a lot of those songs, especially on 'Good To Me'. I said to him 'ohh, this song could really be taken like you're having sex or something'. Steve said 'no, Mavis, think about it like the guy is just good to you. He comes home, he helps you at home and all that'. We had conversations about a lot of that stuff. Then, when the album came out, people were actually playing 'A House Is Not A Home' on the Gospel stations. It was amazing. I didn't get any static from the church people with my solo album. But when the Staple Singers made 'Respect Yourself' and 'I'll Take You There', the church wanted to put us out."

Strangely, "You're Driving Me (Into The Arms Of A Stranger)", which came out in August 1969 was the only single issued. It didn't enter Billboard's R&B charts and the album didn't fare much better, at least not sales-wise. Mavis says it got good airplay, though and feels that the album was badly promoted by Stax. "People just knew me and they liked me and the liked the songs on the record, so they played them." Almost exactly year later, Mavis scored a Top 20 hit with "I Have Learned To Do Without You", which would be included on her sophomore set "Only For The Lonely".

"After that happened, I felt that that first album could have gone further too, because Al Bell didn't promote it at all. It was just being played because the discjockeys liked it. And I called him one day and I asked him: 'why is it that you're not promoting this album? 'A House Is Not A Home' has gone to number one out east, in New York and Philadelphia.' He told me 'well Mavis, 'Hot Buttered Soul' came out at the same time and Isaac (Hayes) has been here longer and 'Hot Buttered Soul...' I said 'maan, 'Hot Buttered Soul'? You can't promote two albums at the same time? That's stupid! You'd rather lose one? How are you running this place?'" Mavis laughed. "I just told him off because I was so upset. I told him 'I've risked my Gospel career, making a secular album here! I'm putting my life on the line and you're gonna let it go nowhere?' I told him off real good and I did feel better after that, but they never promoted either of my albums."