Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
| Track | Album |
|---|---|
| Retreat! | Give The People What They Want |
| Slow Down, Love | Give The People What They Want |
| Long Time, Wrong Time | Give The People What They Want |
| I Learned The Hard Way | I Learned The Hard Way |
| Better Things | I Learned The Hard Way |
| This Land Is Your Land | Naturally |
| How Long Do I Have To Wait For You? | Naturally |
| Genuine Pt.1 | Soul Time! |
| I'm Not Gonna Cry | Soul Time! |
| 100 Days, 100 Nights | 100 Days, 100 Nights |
Sharon Jones playlist
Contributors: Lucretia van den Berg & Jerry Tenenbaum
We were fortunate enough to obtain 2 of the 800 tickets to see Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings last night (April 4th 2014) in Victoria B.C. We were knocked out! No matter what you hear on the six albums, it doesn’t come close to the power and awe of Sharon as performer. She is a dynamo – the rebirth of soul and R&B and with energy not seen since James Brown and a voice that is distinct with shades of Aretha and Tina et al.
Sharon Lafaye Jones is an American soul singer. She was born in Augusta, Georgia and moved to New York City. She sang gospel in church and entered multiple talent shows in the 70s. She did session work while she spent years as a corrections officer at Rikers Island and an armored car guard for Wells Fargo. Success came with hard work and perseverance.
In 1996, while doing a session backing Lee Fields, she was invited by Gabriel Roth (currently her band leader and bassist) to cut a record (Switchblade) and the record producers, Roth and Philip Lehman, put the recording on the Soul Providers album, Soul Providers. Members of the bands (on that album) Antibalas and The Mighty Imperials from NYC formed the Dap-Kings. With Roth, Jones continued to record singles (Damn It’s Hot and Bump N Touch and others including some covers). She began to be noticed by soul and funk enthusiasts. Ultimately, Lehman and Roth parted company with Roth starting Daptone Records. Its first release was a full length Sharon Jones album in 2002 (Dap Dippin’ with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings). Increasingly, as they continued to release albums through the decade – Naturally (2005), 100 Days, 100 Nights (2007), I Learned The Hard Way (2010) – they were identified as key players in a soul/funk resurgence.
In 2013, she was ready to tour to support and promote Give The People What They Want, when she was diagnosed with bile duct cancer (later changed to pancreatic cancer) and underwent a major surgical procedure followed by chemotherapy. All plans were put on hold while she endured the pain and suffering that came with that treatment.
In mid-January 2014, the album was released to high acclaim. She has now returned with her precision band to the road and thus we had the privilege of hearing, seeing and then dancing and meeting with her yesterday.
Choosing songs from the six album releases was difficult. We chose a representation of the different styles of her repertoire – soul, funk, R&B, ballads. Enjoy!
“I have cancer; cancer don’t have me.”
19th November 2016: “We are deeply saddened to announce that Sharon Jones has passed away after a heroic battle against pancreatic cancer,” the singer’s rep wrote in a statement. “She was surrounded by her loved ones, including the Dap-Kings.”
“They said I was too fat, too black, too short and too old,” powerhouse singer says. “And look at me now.” Watch the inspiring ‘Miss Sharon Jones!’ documentary trailer
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings official website
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings biography (Apple Music)
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The Dap Kings were of course hired by Amy Winehouse for her tour and “Back to Black” thus giving her that tight, totally accomplished soul band feel. I’d love to see Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings, as three times recently I’ve found myself watching legends like Rodriguez and Martha Reeves and thinking, ‘Why don’t they hire a band like the Dap Kings to back them?’ I would guess my most played is the album “100 Days, 100 Nights” with the title track, and ‘Humble Me’ being my favorites.