Who is the Jeremy Lin of Rock and Roll?

…Or how about Phil Collins, who drummed for Genesis and provided backup vocals until Peter Gabriel’s departure let him move into the spotlight, first as the leader of the band and then as a solo star? (Even here, it’s not quite Lin-like—Collins stayed with the same band and stepped up due to a change of personnel: it’s more like Tom Brady taking over for Drew Bledsoe than Jeremy Lin arriving from what seemed like nowhere.) I posed this question on Twitter, and there were other suggestions, too: Bootsy Collins, who started in James Brown’s band before his stardom with the P-Funk empire and as a solo artist (though Collins was recognized as a huge instrumental talent while still in his teens; that’s why Brown hired him); Jeff Tweedy, who wasn’t necessarily tapped for stardom when Uncle Tupelo dissolved.

Last year, Mavis Staples, at seventy-one, teamed up with Jeff Tweedy, the lead singer of Wilco, for her Grammy-winning album, “You Are Not Alone.” On October 1st, she’ll be sitting down with Lawrence Wright at the New Yorker Festival to talk about her sixty-year career and she’ll also be singing some songs. This is an event you do not want to miss! Click here to purchase tickets.