Rock & Roll, Blues and Gospel Hall of Famer Mavis Staples may now be an American treasure, but long before securing such status, she was a fixture in the Windy City since the age of eight.

Now 86, the sole survivor of family band The Staple Singers branched out into solo terrain, bringing the new Anti Records album, “Sad And Beautiful World,” in addition to soulful pal Nathaniel Rateliff to a sold out Chicago Theatre.

Accompanied by a longtime trio and a couple backing singers, the headliner spent about 80 minutes addressing both anthems from the Civil Rights Movement to beacons of hope amidst the turmoil of today, dripping conviction with every uplifting word.

Despite being small in stature, Staples had the vocal strength of a giant as she effortlessly belted out the group’s “City In The Sky,” “I’m Just Another Soldier,” “Handwriting On The Wall,” “Freedom Highway” and “Respect Yourself,” when the decades-old line “keep talkin’ ’bout the president, won’t stop air pollution” earned an especially thought-provoking reaction.

The same could be said about her own newcomers “Beautiful Strangers” and “Human Mind,” the latter of which was specifically penned for the star by Hozier and Allison Russell, although each destined to go down in the canon of classics.

There was no better city to tackle Tom Waits’ “Chicago” than this one and it was customized like an original, while late father Roebuck “Pops” would’ve been similarly proud of Mavis and guest Nathaniel’s true-to-form take on “Friendship,” followed by their powerhouse pairing throughout The Band’s “The Weight.”

“Heavy Makes You Happy,” Eddie Hinton’s “Everybody Needs Love” and “I’ll Take You There” resumed taking the multi-generational crowd to heaven on earth, balancing spunk and spirituality in a manner that’s singlehandedly Mavis Staples.

Well beyond merely a support act, Rateliff is usually a marquee name on any other night, whether it be at the very same venue as an individual or leading The Night Sweats to a near-capacity United Center.

The historic hall was unquestionably the most ideal setting to encounter the 47-year-old singer/songwriter/guitarist, whose rugged pipes sounded pristine across the vintage vibes of “Tonight #2,” “All Or Nothing” and “Still Out There Running.”

In fact, Rateliff’s retro revivalism keeps spreading like wildfire in an era where its nearly an anomaly, and as later tracks “Time Stands” and “Heartless” hinted, is bound to go the distance.

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For additional information on Mavis Staples and Nathaniel Rateliff, visit MavisStaples.com and NathanielRateliff.com.

For a list of upcoming Jam Productions concerts, visit JamUSA.com.

Upcoming shows at the Chicago Theatre include Brian Regan (Jan. 17); Kathleen Madigan (Jan. 31); James Acaster (Feb. 6); Hannah Berner (Feb. 7); Josh Johnson (Feb. 13-15); Jim Gaffigan (Feb. 19-21); VirDas (Feb. 27); “Be Like Blippi” (Feb. 28); Lucy Darling (Mar. 7); Max Amini (Mar. 8); Gary Owen (Mar. 20); Trixie & Katya (Mar. 21); Anderson Cooper & Andy Cohen (Mar. 27-28); Chelsea Handler (Apr. 10); George Harris (Apr. 11); Michael McIntyre (Apr. 16-17); Michelle Buteau (Apr. 18); Akaash Singh (Apr. 24) and Puscifer (Apr. 25). For additional details, visit TheChicagoTheatre.com.