Sharon Jones
Encyclopedia
Sharon Lafaye Jones is an American
soul
/funk
singer. She is the lead singer of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
, a band at the forefront of a revivalist movement that aims to recapture the feeling of soul and funk music as it was at its height in the late 1960s to mid 1970s. Despite trying to forge a career as a professional singer since an early age, it has only been in her middle age that Jones has experienced breakthrough success.
, Georgia
, Jones moved to New York
at an early age. As a child, she and her brothers would often imitate the singing and dancing of James Brown
. A regular gospel
singer in church, Jones often entered talent show
s backed by local funk bands in the early 1970s. Session work then continued with backing singing, often credited to Lafaye Jones, but in the absence of any recording contract as a solo singer, she spent many years working as a corrections officer at Rikers Island
and as an armored car guard for Wells Fargo Bank, until receiving a mid-life career break in 1996 after she appeared on a session backing soul and deep funk legend Lee Fields.
The session was organized by Gabriel Roth and Philip Lehman, owner of the now defunct French record label Pure Records. Jones was the only one of three singers who were called into the session to show. Having completed all the backing parts herself, Roth and Lehman were suitably impressed with her performance and recorded "Switchblade", a solo track with Jones. This track and "The Landlord" were included on the Soul Providers' album Soul Tequila, released by Philip Lehman on Pure circa 1996. The Soul Providers—with members of the Brooklyn
, New York City
, bands Antibalas
and the Mighty Imperials—would later go on to form the Dap-Kings, Jones' current backing band.
Lehman and Roth decided to start a new label based in Brooklyn called Desco Records, now also defunct. Soul Tequila was re-released as Gimme the Paw which omitted "The Landlord" but kept "Switchblade". Jones however recorded and released three singles on 45
for the Desco label, "Damn It's Hot" (part 1) backed by (part 2), "Bump N Touch" (part 1) backed by "Hook and Sling Meets the Funky Superfly" (a medley cover of Eddie Bo and Bobby Williams tracks), and "You Better Think Twice" backed by "I Got the Feeling" (a James Brown cover). The 45s gained some notice amongst 45 soul and funk collectors, particularly because in the early days of Desco Records some collectors may have believed the 45s to be originals from the early seventies, as they were never dated. These 45s were also released on a compilation CD, the Desco Funk 45' Collection, alongside various other artists in the Desco stable. The Desco label itself had established a firm reputation amongst enthusiasts. Desco continued to release 45 singles and also released LPs by Lee Fields, The Sugarman 3
, The Daktaris and The Mighty Imperials as well as a further compilation of funk 45s. The Mighty Imperials album proved to be the last release on the Desco label, and due to a difference of opinions label owners Lehman and Roth parted ways in 2000. Lehman started another independent, Soul Fire Records, now also defunct, whilst Gabriel Roth went on to start Daptone Records
with saxophonist Neal Sugarman of Sugarman 3.
Launched on the back of the popularity of Desco Records, Daptone Records' first release would be a full length Sharon Jones album. A new band, the Dap-Kings, was formed from the ashes of the Soul Providers and the Mighty Imperials. Some of the musicians went on to record for Philip Lehman's Soul Fire label, while some formed the Afro-beat band the Budos Band
. From the original Soul Providers, Roth (AKA Bosco Mann) on bass, guitarist and emcee Binky Griptite, percussionist Fernando Velez, trumpet player Anda Szilagyi and organist Earl Maxton were joined by original Mighty Imperials saxophonist Leon Michels and drummer Homer Steinweiss, plus Neal Sugarman from Sugarman 3, to form The Dap-Kings.
In 2002, under the name Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, the group released an album Dap Dippin' with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
for which they received immediate attention and acclaim from enthusiasts, DJs and collectors. With three more albums under their belt, Naturally
(2005), 100 Days, 100 Nights
(2007) and I Learned the Hard Way
(2010) they are seen by many as the spearhead of a revivalist soul
and funk
movement. They are particularly well-respected amongst their fans and contemporaries for successfully capturing the essence of soul as it was at its height in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Among Jones' influences are James Brown
, Sam Cooke
, Aretha Franklin
, Ella Fitzgerald
, Thom Bell
, Otis Redding
, Ike & Tina Turner
, Marva Whitney
and everyone from Motown. In addition, Jones also cites more recently-known artists, such as Michael Jackson
, Prince
, Erykah Badu
and Beyoncé.
Jones had a small part in the 2007 film The Great Debaters
, starring Denzel Washington
and Forest Whitaker
, as Lila, a juke joint
singer. Her performance of Lucille Bogan
's "That's What My Baby Likes" is featured in the film, and Jones' additional covers of 1930s-era songs are included on the film's soundtrack.
Jones sang backup for Phish
during their 2009 Halloween performance of The Rolling Stones' Exile on Main St.
, in Indio, California
at Festival 8.
Jones performed a duet of "Baby (You've Got What It Takes)
" with Michael Bublé
on his 2009 album Crazy Love
.
She has performed on tour with Lou Reed
, although her appearance in The Great Debaters caused Jones to turn down a stint as back-up singer for Reed’s fall 2007 live show built around his Berlin
album. She performs one song on the David Byrne
–Fatboy Slim
collaboration, Here Lies Love
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
/funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
singer. She is the lead singer of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings are a funk/soul band. They are signed to Daptone Records, where the Dap-Kings are the house band. They are spearheads of a revivalist movement that aims to capture the essence of funk/soul music as it was at its height in the mid-1960s to mid-1970s...
, a band at the forefront of a revivalist movement that aims to recapture the feeling of soul and funk music as it was at its height in the late 1960s to mid 1970s. Despite trying to forge a career as a professional singer since an early age, it has only been in her middle age that Jones has experienced breakthrough success.
Biography
Born in AugustaAugusta, Georgia
Augusta is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located along the Savannah River. As of the 2010 census, the Augusta–Richmond County population was 195,844 not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta-Richmond County...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, Jones moved to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
at an early age. As a child, she and her brothers would often imitate the singing and dancing of James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
. A regular gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
singer in church, Jones often entered talent show
Talent show
A talent show is an event where participants perform their talent or talents of acting, singing, dancing, acrobatics, drumming, martial arts, playing an instrument, and other activities to showcase a unique form of talent, sometimes for a reward, trophy or prize...
s backed by local funk bands in the early 1970s. Session work then continued with backing singing, often credited to Lafaye Jones, but in the absence of any recording contract as a solo singer, she spent many years working as a corrections officer at Rikers Island
Rikers Island
Rikers Island is New York City's main jail complex, as well as the name of the island on which it sits, in the East River between Queens and the mainland Bronx, adjacent to the runways of LaGuardia Airport. The island itself is part of the borough of the Bronx, though it is included as part of...
and as an armored car guard for Wells Fargo Bank, until receiving a mid-life career break in 1996 after she appeared on a session backing soul and deep funk legend Lee Fields.
The session was organized by Gabriel Roth and Philip Lehman, owner of the now defunct French record label Pure Records. Jones was the only one of three singers who were called into the session to show. Having completed all the backing parts herself, Roth and Lehman were suitably impressed with her performance and recorded "Switchblade", a solo track with Jones. This track and "The Landlord" were included on the Soul Providers' album Soul Tequila, released by Philip Lehman on Pure circa 1996. The Soul Providers—with members of the Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, bands Antibalas
Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra
Antibalas is a Brooklyn-based afrobeat band that is modeled after Fela Kuti's Africa 70 band and Eddie Palmieri's Harlem River Drive Orchestra...
and the Mighty Imperials—would later go on to form the Dap-Kings, Jones' current backing band.
Lehman and Roth decided to start a new label based in Brooklyn called Desco Records, now also defunct. Soul Tequila was re-released as Gimme the Paw which omitted "The Landlord" but kept "Switchblade". Jones however recorded and released three singles on 45
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
for the Desco label, "Damn It's Hot" (part 1) backed by (part 2), "Bump N Touch" (part 1) backed by "Hook and Sling Meets the Funky Superfly" (a medley cover of Eddie Bo and Bobby Williams tracks), and "You Better Think Twice" backed by "I Got the Feeling" (a James Brown cover). The 45s gained some notice amongst 45 soul and funk collectors, particularly because in the early days of Desco Records some collectors may have believed the 45s to be originals from the early seventies, as they were never dated. These 45s were also released on a compilation CD, the Desco Funk 45' Collection, alongside various other artists in the Desco stable. The Desco label itself had established a firm reputation amongst enthusiasts. Desco continued to release 45 singles and also released LPs by Lee Fields, The Sugarman 3
The Sugarman 3
The Sugarman 3, sometimes titled The Sugarman Three, is a retro-funk band from New York formed in 1996 by saxophonist Neal Sugarman, Hammond organ player Adam Scone, and drummer Rudy Albin...
, The Daktaris and The Mighty Imperials as well as a further compilation of funk 45s. The Mighty Imperials album proved to be the last release on the Desco label, and due to a difference of opinions label owners Lehman and Roth parted ways in 2000. Lehman started another independent, Soul Fire Records, now also defunct, whilst Gabriel Roth went on to start Daptone Records
Daptone Records
Daptone Records is a funk and soul independent record label formed by Gabriel Roth and Neal Sugarman and based in Brooklyn, New York.After the demise of the Desco label Gabriel Roth teamed up with Neal Sugarman to create a new label, Daptone Records...
with saxophonist Neal Sugarman of Sugarman 3.
Launched on the back of the popularity of Desco Records, Daptone Records' first release would be a full length Sharon Jones album. A new band, the Dap-Kings, was formed from the ashes of the Soul Providers and the Mighty Imperials. Some of the musicians went on to record for Philip Lehman's Soul Fire label, while some formed the Afro-beat band the Budos Band
The Budos Band
The Budos Band are an instrumental band recording on the Daptone Records label. The band has ten members who play instrumental music that is self-described as "Afro-Soul," a term and sound which - in a 2007 interview - baritone saxophone player Jared Tankel elucidates as, being drawn from...
. From the original Soul Providers, Roth (AKA Bosco Mann) on bass, guitarist and emcee Binky Griptite, percussionist Fernando Velez, trumpet player Anda Szilagyi and organist Earl Maxton were joined by original Mighty Imperials saxophonist Leon Michels and drummer Homer Steinweiss, plus Neal Sugarman from Sugarman 3, to form The Dap-Kings.
Dap Dippin' with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
Dap Dippin' with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings is the debut album by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, released in 2002 . It is also the first full length release from Daptone Records.-Track listing:...
for which they received immediate attention and acclaim from enthusiasts, DJs and collectors. With three more albums under their belt, Naturally
Naturally (Sharon Jones album)
Naturally is the second album by American funk band Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, released on January 25, 2005 on Daptone Records.-Track listing:All songs written by Bosco Mann, except as noted.#"How Do I Let a Good Man Down?" – 3:02...
(2005), 100 Days, 100 Nights
100 Days, 100 Nights
-Chart Listings:-Personnel:* Sharon Jones: vocals* Homer Steinweiss: Drums* Binky Griptite: Guitar* Dave Guy: Trumpet* Fernando Velez: Congas, Tambourine* Gabriel Roth aka * BOSCO MANN:Bass,Bandleader* Neal Sugarman:Tenor saxophone* Thomas Brenneck:Guitar...
(2007) and I Learned the Hard Way
I Learned the Hard Way
I Learned the Hard Way is the fourth studio album by American soul and funk band Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, released April 6, 2010 on Daptone Records. Production for the album took place at the label's House of Soul Studios during 2009 to 2010 and was handled by Daptone co-founder Gabriel Roth,...
(2010) they are seen by many as the spearhead of a revivalist soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
and funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
movement. They are particularly well-respected amongst their fans and contemporaries for successfully capturing the essence of soul as it was at its height in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Among Jones' influences are James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
, Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke
Samuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...
, Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
, Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
, Thom Bell
Thom Bell
Thomas Randolph "Thom" Bell is an American songwriter and producer, best known as one of the creators of the Philadelphia style of soul music in the 1970s. He moved to Philadelphia as a child.-Biography:...
, Otis Redding
Otis Redding
Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B...
, Ike & Tina Turner
Ike & Tina Turner
Ike & Tina Turner were an American rock & roll and soul duo, made of the husband-and-wife team of Ike Turner and Tina Turner in the 1960s and 1970s. Spanning sixteen years together as a recording group, the duo's repertoire included rock & roll, soul, blues and funk...
, Marva Whitney
Marva Whitney
Marva Whitney is an African American funk singer. She is considered by many funk enthusiasts to be one of the "rawest" and "brassiest" music divas....
and everyone from Motown. In addition, Jones also cites more recently-known artists, such as Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
, Erykah Badu
Erykah Badu
Erica Abi Wright , better known by her stage name Erykah Badu , is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Her work includes elements from R&B, hip hop and jazz. She is best known for her role in the rise of the neo soul sub-genre, and for her eccentric, cerebral musical...
and Beyoncé.
Jones had a small part in the 2007 film The Great Debaters
The Great Debaters
The Great Debaters is a 2007 American biopic period drama film directed by and starring two-time Academy Award winner Denzel Washington and produced by Oprah Winfrey and her production company, Harpo Productions...
, starring Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington
Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter, director, and film producer. He first rose to prominence when he joined the cast of the medical drama, St. Elsewhere, playing Dr...
and Forest Whitaker
Forest Whitaker
Forest Steven Whitaker is an American actor, producer, and director. He has earned a reputation for intensive character study work for films such as Bird and Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, and for his recurring role as ex-LAPD Lieutenant Jon Kavanaugh on the gritty, award-winning television...
, as Lila, a juke joint
Juke joint
Juke joint is the vernacular term for an informal establishment featuring music, dancing, gambling, and drinking, primarily operated by African American people in the southeastern United States. The term "juke" is believed to derive from the Gullah word joog, meaning rowdy or disorderly...
singer. Her performance of Lucille Bogan
Lucille Bogan
Lucille Bogan was an American blues singer, among the first to be recorded. She also recorded under the pseudonym Bessie Jackson...
's "That's What My Baby Likes" is featured in the film, and Jones' additional covers of 1930s-era songs are included on the film's soundtrack.
Jones sang backup for Phish
Phish
Phish is an American rock band noted for its musical improvisation, extended jams, and exploration of music across genres. Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983 , the band's four members – Trey Anastasio , Mike Gordon , Jon Fishman , and Page McConnell Phish is an American rock band...
during their 2009 Halloween performance of The Rolling Stones' Exile on Main St.
Exile on Main St.
Exile on Main St. is the tenth British and 12th American studio album by English rock band The Rolling Stones. Released as a double LP in May 1972, it draws on many genres including rock and roll, blues, soul, R&B, gospel and country. The release of Exile on Main St. met with mixed reviews, but is...
, in Indio, California
Indio, California
Indio is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, located in the Coachella Valley of Southern California's Colorado Desert region. It lies east of Palm Springs, east of Riverside, and east of Los Angeles. It is about north of Mexicali, Baja California on the U.S.-Mexican border...
at Festival 8.
Jones performed a duet of "Baby (You've Got What It Takes)
Baby (You've Got What It Takes)
"Baby " is a 1960 song written by Clyde Otis, Murray Stein and Brook Benton. It was originally recorded as a duet by Dinah Washington and Brook Benton. In their first collaboration, the single was very successful on both the pop and R&B charts...
" with Michael Bublé
Michael Bublé
Michael Steven Bublé is a Canadian singer. He has won several awards, including three Grammy Awards and multiple Juno Awards. His first album reached the top ten in Canada and the UK. He found worldwide commercial success with his 2005 album It's Time, and his 2007 album Call Me Irresponsible was...
on his 2009 album Crazy Love
Crazy Love (Michael Bublé album)
Crazy Love is the fourth studio album released by Canadian vocalist Michael Bublé. After only three days of sales, the album opened atop the Billboard 200 chart with 132,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan, making the album Bublé's second number #1 album...
.
She has performed on tour with Lou Reed
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
, although her appearance in The Great Debaters caused Jones to turn down a stint as back-up singer for Reed’s fall 2007 live show built around his Berlin
Berlin (album)
Berlin is a 1973 album by Lou Reed, his third solo album and the follow-up to Transformer. In 2003, the album was ranked number 344 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, though the publication had called the album a "disaster" 30 years prior.-Background and...
album. She performs one song on the David Byrne
David Byrne
David Byrne may refer to:*David Byrne , musician and former Talking Heads frontman**David Byrne , his eponymous album*David Byrne , Irish footballer*David Byrne , English footballer...
–Fatboy Slim
Fatboy Slim
Norman Quentin Cook better known by his former stage name Fatboy Slim, is a British DJ, electronic dance music musician, and record producer. He is a pioneer of the big beat genre that achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s...
collaboration, Here Lies Love
Here Lies Love
Here Lies Love is a concept album and rock musical made in collaboration between David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, about the life of the former First Lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos along with the woman who raised her—Estrella Cumpas—and follows Marcos until she and her family were forced to leave...
.
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
- Dap Dippin' with Sharon Jones and the Dap-KingsDap Dippin' with Sharon Jones and the Dap-KingsDap Dippin' with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings is the debut album by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, released in 2002 . It is also the first full length release from Daptone Records.-Track listing:...
(2002, Daptone DAP-001) - NaturallyNaturally (Sharon Jones album)Naturally is the second album by American funk band Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, released on January 25, 2005 on Daptone Records.-Track listing:All songs written by Bosco Mann, except as noted.#"How Do I Let a Good Man Down?" – 3:02...
(2005, Daptone DAP-004) - 100 Days, 100 Nights100 Days, 100 Nights-Chart Listings:-Personnel:* Sharon Jones: vocals* Homer Steinweiss: Drums* Binky Griptite: Guitar* Dave Guy: Trumpet* Fernando Velez: Congas, Tambourine* Gabriel Roth aka * BOSCO MANN:Bass,Bandleader* Neal Sugarman:Tenor saxophone* Thomas Brenneck:Guitar...
(2007, Daptone DAP-012) - I Learned the Hard WayI Learned the Hard WayI Learned the Hard Way is the fourth studio album by American soul and funk band Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, released April 6, 2010 on Daptone Records. Production for the album took place at the label's House of Soul Studios during 2009 to 2010 and was handled by Daptone co-founder Gabriel Roth,...
(2010, Daptone DAP-019) - Soul Time! (2011, Daptone)
External links
- Official Website
- Sharon Jones Video Interview, Nov 29, 2005, followed by 70 minute concert
- Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, "I Learned the Hard Way" by BillboardBillboard (magazine)Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
- Reverb Magazine Interview - December 2010