Spinner

Sharon Jones, Now a Soul Star With the Dap-Kings, Got There the Hard Way

Sharon JonesAFP / Getty Images

In a better world, as James Brown once sang, 'Santa Claus Goes Straight to the Ghetto.' Sharon Jones, who was born in Brown's hometown, Augusta, Ga., grew up singing and dancing to the city's Soul Brother Number One. At Christmastime, the young girl had a practical question for her mother: How does Santa get the toys into the poor kids' apartments?

'Ain't No Chimneys in the Projects,' as the estimable, late-blooming performer sang this week on 'The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.' Having released four successful albums with her Brooklyn-based band the Dap-Kings, the soul revivalist has come a long way from the odd jobs she was obliged to take when her career was going nowhere. Just back from touring Europe and Australia, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings play holiday shows with New Orleans great Allen Toussaint, Dec. 30-31 at the Best Buy Theater in New York's Times Square.

Listen to Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings' 'Ain't No Chimneys in the Projects'


Sharon Lafaye Jones was the youngest of six kids -- three boys, three girls. Her parents split up when the baby was young, and her mother moved the children to New York. Jones got her first taste of the stage singing 'Silent Night,' dressed as an angel, in a church in Augusta on a trip to see her father.

Born in 1956, she was old enough to experience firsthand the rise of Motown and classic soul, followed by the disco era. Beginning in the 1970s, she found session work as a backup singer on funk, disco and blues records, but the opportunity to lead her own band eluded her.

"They told me I was too dark, too fat and too black," as she told DailyComet.com. "Then I turned 25 and I was too old." She gave up her dream of a career in music and took work as a corrections officer at Rikers Island jail. She also worked as an armored car guard, and she moved back in with her mother to help care for an ailing brother (who died in 2006).

Finally, at the age of 40, when plenty of singers are considering whether to keep making music into middle age and beyond, Jones was "discovered" when she auditioned for a group called the Soul Providers. They were looking for three backup singers for veteran funk singer Lee Fields; Jones sang all three parts in the studio.

Released in 2001, five years after the Fields session, the first album by Jones and the Dap-Kings was made in desperation: After spending a summer residency at a club in Barcelona, the band was broke, so they pressed a few hundred copies of 'Dap-Dippin' with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings.' The album was a surprise success that put the band front and center of the soul revival that would become a defining style in the new decade. (The Dap-Kings, of course, would make significant contributions to Amy Winehouse's blockbuster 'Back to Black' album.)

Today, in addition to the growing demand for her own band, Jones has collaborated with an eclectic mix of fellow performers, from Michael Bublé and Phish to Lou Reed and They Might Be Giants. Still promoting their fourth album, the aptly titled 'I Learned the Hard Way,' Jones and the Dap-Kings have just released a limited-edition box of the album's songs, plus bonus tracks, all on 45rpm singles. She may be a throwback, but Sharon Jones keeps pushing ahead.

Watch Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings' 'I Learned the Hard Way' Video


Add a Comment

Sign in »
*0 / 3000 Character Maximum

32 Comments

Filter by:
sugarcupid.com

I'm a beautiful lady, just wanna to make more friends, recently I joined a amazing site..check my name dear ....It is a person'als place where you can meet success'ful rich men, classy mature women, rich women looking for marriage, or just meet beautiful friends and singles. Good luck! :)

January 13 2012 at 9:08 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
mike flynn

too bad the article did not give more ink to the dap kings. it is their vision that got her discovered and they deserve equal limelight. i guess her coming up the somewhat hardway is a better story than a couple of jewish boys doing the black thing. this band with sharon has a great sound.

December 31 2010 at 5:11 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
wlh1923

OMG kill that gigantic flipping wart on her head. Simple quick plastic surgery and its gone. JFC

December 30 2010 at 8:14 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
cc

i saw her and the band in denver, co. they were awesome to say the least. more memorable than any other concert(including megastars)that i have ever been to.

December 30 2010 at 8:07 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Tony R.

Have really been into Sharon and the band for a few years now. So happy for her that her success in becoming mainstream. She deserves it.

December 30 2010 at 7:16 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Tom Powers

Normally, I would not dignify such hatred with a response. Nor do I think Sharon Jones needs me to defend her. However, I shared this story on twitter with a number of jazz and music folks I know. Like me, they were appalled and repulsed by the number of vile comments about her.

How people have it in them to post such ignorance is sad. Sharon Jones is a beautful woman. She is a disgrace to no one. Her talent is unquestionable. The people who made these comments should be ashamed of themselves. I for one am ashamed for them.

As I expressed on twitter, I hope she reads each of these negative comments and writes a song about them that tops the charts and sells millions. I also hope that as the New Year approaches, people will finally learn some tact, compassion, and goodwill. Her story is one of triumph and inspiration and I love that. A friend of mine sent me "Switchblade" and said it was one of his favorites, I think it is appropriate to throw that on right now. -Tom Powers

December 30 2010 at 6:41 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
cheryl

Caught Sharon and her band at the Snowmass Jazz Festival...Love, love, love these guys...she's James Brown and Tina Turner in one. The band is soooo talented...tight. Come back to Colorado, Sharon!

December 30 2010 at 6:30 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Craig

That is one butt ugly bitch.

December 30 2010 at 6:05 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Yodi

Thanks be to God above. A real woman, with a real voice, real horns, and real back-up singers. It matters not one iota what she looks like. If the group can produce the music, REAL music, that is all they need to do. I pray for a return to real soul music - this may be the start. I am a white woman.

December 30 2010 at 6:02 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Gail E. Cooper

It's certainly a "refreshing" change to see a more mature artist who can really move people with her vocal performance. In my book, age is nothing but a number! Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings have proven they have what it takes to be number one!

December 30 2010 at 5:07 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply