LESSONS LEARNED
At The Age of 54, Will Sharon Jones FINALLY Become A Star?
by Bret Love
Chances are good that you don’t know Sharon Jones yet. But if you love classic soul, funk, or just good-time party music, you definitely should.
Before Amy Winehouse, Duffy or Adele had turned their retro soul fetishes into chart-topping hits, Jones and her band the Dap-Kings had earned critical acclaim for their stunning 2002 debut, which recalled legends such as James Brown, Mavis Staples and Marva Whitney. While the Dap-Kings provided backup for Winehouse on her 2006 breakthrough, their recordings with Jones (including 2005’s Naturally and 2007’s incredible 100 Days, 100 Nights) have never enjoyed mainstream commercial success.
Hopefully that will all change with their latest album, I Learned The Hard Way, another impressive collection of classic funky soul that showcases Jones’ emotive, gospel-influenced vocals. We recently caught up with the 54-year-old powerhouse to discuss her influences, her long and winding road to success and why she loves Michael Bublé.
You were born in Augusta and raised in New York, but you’ve still got that classic Southern soul sound. Was that a big influence on you when you were growing up?
I can’t get rid of that! (Laughs) Sometimes when I get to talking real fast my little Southern drawl will come out. I was born in 1956 when all that stuff was happening, before everything turned to pop and hip-hop. When I was a little girl we listened to Stax and Motown R&B, soul singers like James Brown and Otis Redding, even rock stuff like the Beatles and Rolling Stones. But it’s not just me: I may do the singing and bring the story to life, but the band writes the music that reminds you of Aretha Franklin or Mavis Staples.
Did you come up singing in the church?
Yeah, I always sang in church. We did this Christmas pageant one year where I played an angel and sang “Silent Night,” and I think I knew then and there that I had something going on. I wound up singing in neighborhood bands in high school. But by the time I hit my early twenties, they told me I didn’t have the look: I was too dark, too fat, too short. But I kept thinking that God had given me a gift, and one day people would accept me for my voice rather than the way I look.
I’m not sure if this is true, but I read that you worked as a corrections officer and an armored car guard during the years before your music career took off?
Oh yeah! I was at Riker’s Island from 1988-1990, and I worked with Wells Fargo for two to three years after that. I was still working security, wearing a gun all the time, when I met the guys who became my band.
So when you’re doing all these crazy jobs and nearing your forties, did you still think in the back of your mind, “I’m gonna get my big break someday”?
Yeah, I was still singing in weddings bands on and off up until the time when I met the Dap-Kings. But once we started going over to Europe on tour, they had to get somebody to replace me. The Dap-Kings would be touring in Europe, making like $50 a night and coming home with no money, and I’d be turning down $500 a night gigs with the wedding band! But I had to make that move.
Then five years later, you guys were the most critically acclaimed funk/soul band in the country. Is that crazy to you?
Hearing you say it like that, yeah! But it hasn’t really hit me yet. Everywhere I go there are still so many people that haven’t heard of us. But every time I go out on stage I give it everything I got– like 110%– and it seems like each time we tour we have a few more fans.
Talk to me about getting together with the guys behind Daptone Records.
When I first met them they weren’t even called Daptone yet: It was Desco Records, and they’d just discovered Lee Fields, who played old soul music. They wanted three female background singers for Lee’s record, but since I was the only one who showed up I sang all the backing parts myself. After that we recorded a [solo track] called “Switchblade,” and the next thing I knew we were heading to Europe to open for Maceo Parker. Gabe (bass), Binky (guitar) and Leon (saxophone) used to play together in Antibalas and the Soul Providers when they were like 16 years old. Now they’re all in their late twenties.
You guys obviously got a lot more mainstream recognition when the band played backup on Amy Winehouse’s breakthrough album, Back To Black. Was it exciting to see that sound getting played on the radio?
Actually, no, because it wasn’t OUR stuff. Even though the Dap-Kings played on it, it was Amy and Mark Ronson’s music. It was good exposure for Daptone as a record label, but Amy never gave props to me or the Dap-Kings. But I knew we had inspired her, because when we started going over to England there wasn’t but one other label trying to do what we were doing. The next thing you know, you’ve got people like Duffy and Adele following in her footsteps, but we were the first and we stayed true to what we were doing.
It’s kind of like the way Elvis had to get popular before people went back and discovered the black artists who had influenced him. Fortunately it’s come back around to bless you with opportunities, like working with Denzel Washington in The Great Debaters.
It was great! While they were out there doing Amy, I was doing Denzel! (Laughs) Right before that I was playing with Lou Reed, and after that I played with Booker T & the MGs. Last year I did a show with Phish on Halloween because they wanted some background singers, but it seemd like a got a lot of new fans out of it. Then Michael Bublé asked me to be on Saturday Night Live with him. What I love about Michael is that he reminds me of that swinging ‘60s vibe, so we’re influenced by the same era of music. It was great exposure for me; it was like when Frank Sinatra teamed up with Dinah Washington. I don’t know what the future holds, but I hope it will bring more great stuff like that. I just want to share the gift that God gave me, and show people that you shouldn’t give up after 40. You’ve got to keep going!
You’ve worked with all these other great artists. What is it about the chemistry between you and the Dap-Kings that makes it special?
It’s the music! Those guys write the greatest songs, and sometimes I just sit back and watch them. They amaze me. We recorded our new album months ago and I had copies of the rough mixes, but when I got the final version last week I listened to it for the first time from top to bottom while driving on my way to a photo shoot. I was like, “Wow!” I got so into it, I had to stop myself before I got a big head! (Laughs)
So what’s next for you guys once the album comes out?
We have so many great things lined up, some of which they told me I can’t even talk about yet. We’re gonna be playing on all these different talk shows, and we’re playing the Apollo Theatre on April 30 and 31. I’ve been doing all these interviews and photo shoots, and the other day I did over 100 radio drops. I guess it’s good; it means people love us! (Laughs)
No comments:
Post a Comment