Soul Legend Sugar Pie DeSanto Promises to Shock the Ponderosa Stomp Crowd

Nine years going, the Ponderosa Stomp festival in New Orleans has been bringing the unsung heroes of rock 'n' roll, blues, soul and several other uniquely American music forms to an appreciative audience that doesn't often see many of these older performers strut their stuff – and certainly not in one place over two nights. Among the more than 30 acts slated to shake it on down at the New Orleans House of Blues on Sept. 24 and 25 are the Trashmen, Duane Eddy, Thee Midniters, Barbara Lynn and Roy Head, as well as La La Brooks of the Crystals, Young Jessie and Lazy Lester – whose blues ditty gave the fest its name.

One scheduled performer who has all but sworn to make an indelible impression on the Ponderosa Stomp 2010 crowd is Sugar Pie DeSanto. Best known for her mid-'60s soul sides for Chess, including 'Slip-In Mules,' 'Soulful Dress' and her duets with R&B legend Etta James, 'In the Basement' and 'Do I Make Myself Clear,' the petite yet powerful-voiced blues belter has been wowing crowds since being part of the James Brown Revue as a youngster 50 years ago.

Even though she confesses to being worried about lingering jet lag after flying in from her San Francisco Bay Area home, DeSanto promises to be more than ready once she hits the Pondersa Stomp stage. "I guess I'll mess around and raise them from their feet," she tells Spinner. "I'm a go-getter. There isn't a moment when i don't move. I'm just like a youngster. I get excited to entertain.

"They can expect me to dance my can off – turn a backflip, maybe," she adds, astonishingly. As to why DeSanto is slightly coy about absolutely guaranteeing one of her famous onstage somersaults with that "maybe," she does offer this reminder: "Well, I'll be 75 next month."

Watch Sugar Pie DeSanto's 'Rock Me Baby' Video

The 4-foot-11 DeSanto, born Umpeylia Balinton to an African-American mother and a Filipino father, admits to having learned a thing or two about showmanship during her stint with the Godfather of Soul. And she promises to have her fans astounded by both her singing and her stagecraft during her high-octane show.

She says she'll leave the Ponderosa Stomp throng wondering, "'Oh, no, she didn't turn a backflip! No, she didn't grab that man and jumped up and locked her legs around his waist and hung upside-down!'

"There are a lot of things I can do."

Although it's a rare septuagenarian who can present an act that would make most grown men blush, DeSanto makes no apologies for putting the "blue" in rhythm & blues with her adults-only antics. "I'm a little risque sometimes, but they just have to figure that out," she warns. "They've been calling me risque for years. All my life I've been feisty."

X-rated act notwithstanding, DeSanto is still all lady and does admit to a bit of modesty if and when she executes her infamous stage gymnastics at the Ponderosa Stomp 2010.

"I'll make sure that [I'm] covered," she reassures. "I'm gonna wear a gown, but I'm gonna wear something protective underneath. I'm making sure it's black so you can't see nothing. It'll be all in their mind."