Sharon Jones and Dap Kings

Biography

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings were an American funk and soul band that spearheaded a revivalist movement recreating the essence of mid-1960s to mid-1970s soul and funk music. The band was founded in Brooklyn, New York in 1996, emerging from the earlier Soul Providers project created by musician Gabriel Roth (also known as Bosco Mann) and artist Phillip Lehman. Sharon Jones herself had an unconventional path to stardom—born in Augusta, Georgia, she performed in church as a young child and sang with local funk groups as a teenager in the early 1970s. Before becoming a recording artist, she worked various day jobs including as an armored car guard for Wells Fargo and a corrections officer at Rikers Island prison. Her breakthrough came in 1996 when she was called to sing backup vocals on a Lee Fields session produced by Roth; impressed by her talent, Roth elevated her to frontwoman status at age 40 for her first recording as a lead vocalist, "Damn It's Hot."

The Dap-Kings, formed after the Soul Providers disbanded in 2000, consisted of bassist Gabriel Roth, saxophonist Neal Sugarman, guitarist Binky Griptite, organist Earl Maxton, percussionist Fernando Velez, trumpeter Anda Szilagyi, tenor saxophonist Leon Michels, and drummer Homer Steinweiss. The band recorded their debut album, Dap Dippin' with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, in 2001 in a Brooklyn basement, with only a few hundred copies initially pressed to fund a Barcelona club residency. The album was officially released on Daptone Records in 2002 and attracted enthusiastic critical acclaim. The Dap-Kings also became notable session musicians, contributing extensively to Amy Winehouse's landmark 2006 album Back to Black, appearing on six of the album's eleven tracks including the hits "Rehab" and "You Know I'm No Good."

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings released a series of increasingly popular albums and singles throughout the 2000s and 2010s, establishing themselves as leaders of the soul revival movement. Their sixth record, Give the People What They Want, was nominated for Best R&B Album at the 2015 Grammy Awards. The group's final album, It's a Holiday Soul Party, was released in November 2015. Sharon Jones passed away at age 60 in November 2016 following a battle with pancreatic cancer. The band completed and released Soul of a Woman on the first anniversary of her death in 2017, and remained active as a live performing group through 2018, including a series of summer shows with Jon Batiste. In September 2020, the group announced Just Dropped In To See What Condition My Rendition Was In, a compilation of cover songs recorded over the years, which was released on October 23, 2020.

Fun Facts

• Sharon Jones did not become a recording artist as a frontwoman until age 40, after decades of working day jobs including as a corrections officer at Rikers Island prison and an armored car guard for Wells Fargo.
• The Dap-Kings' debut album was recorded in a Brooklyn basement and only a few hundred copies were initially pressed to fund a summer residency at La Boite club in Barcelona, Spain—the album's success through promotional copies led to its official release on Daptone Records in 2002.
• During a talent show competition judged by legendary DJ Frankie Crocker, Sharon Jones impressed the crowd so much by singing Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" a cappella that the audience demanded she perform despite her band not being present, and she 'started killin' them' when a backing band began playing underneath her vocals.
• The Dap-Kings' contributions to Amy Winehouse's Back to Black (2006) were extensive—appearing on six of the album's eleven tracks—yet their role remained somewhat unheralded despite the album becoming a landmark in contemporary soul music.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Lee Fields - Deep funk legend and early collaborator who worked with Sharon Jones during her breakthrough session; Jones sang backup vocals on Fields' tracks that led to her discovery by Gabriel Roth (Lee Fields sessions (1996)) [1996 onwards]
• Gabriel Roth (Bosco Mann) - Co-founder of the Soul Providers and Daptone Records; discovered Sharon Jones and elevated her from backup vocalist to frontwoman at age 40 (Soul Providers project, Daptone Records founding, all Dap-Kings albums) [1996-2016]

Key Collaborators

• Neal Sugarman - Co-founder of Daptone Records and saxophonist; key member of the Dap-Kings band (All Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings albums) [2000-2020]
• Leon Michels - Tenor saxophonist and original Dap-Kings member who contributed to the band's signature sound (Dap Dippin' with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings (2001), Naturally (2005), and subsequent albums) [2000-2005]
• Amy Winehouse - The Dap-Kings served as session musicians on her landmark album; their contributions were extensive though somewhat unheralded (Back to Black (2006) - six of eleven tracks including 'Rehab' and 'You Know I'm No Good')
• Mark Ronson - DJ/producer/recording artist who hired the Dap-Kings as session musicians on multiple projects (Various Mark Ronson projects) [Mid-2000s]
• Jon Batiste - Performed in a series of summer shows with the Dap-Kings during their later years (Live performances)

Artists Influenced

• Soul and funk revival movement - Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings spearheaded and were central to a broader revivalist movement that aimed to capture the essence of 1960s-1970s soul and funk music, influencing contemporary artists to explore retro soul aesthetics (All albums and performances) [2000s-2010s]

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia