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Sharon Jones Finally Makes Herself Heard

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By CURTIS ROSS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 17, 2008

Sharon Jones is having her hair done while answering a reporter's questions by telephone. She just wants to make sure she can be heard over the noise from the hair dryer under which she's sitting.

Actually, the R&B and funk vocalist is having no trouble making herself heard, which is more than can be said of her early career.

After years of disappointments, Jones, 52, finally is gaining some success as a singer. She and her band, the Dap-Kings, released their third album, "100 Days, 100 Nights," last year. Jones also sang on recordings by They Might Be Giants and Rufus Wainwright, as well as appearing in the Denzel Washington film "The Great Debaters."

The Dap-Kings, meanwhile, were tapped by producer Mark Ronson to back Amy Winehouse on half the cuts from last year's "Back to Black." The eight-man crew also toured with Winehouse and has since recorded with artists such as Al Green and Robbie Williams, as well as appearing on the "American Gangster" soundtrack.

It's been a long time coming for Jones, a church-schooled singer whose vocals and stage presence are undeniable.

When she pursued a career in the '70s, Jones says she was told she was too dark-skinned. When she hit 30, she was too old. Or too heavy.

Singing was relegated to weddings and occasional backing vocal sessions, while Jones made the nut with a number of non-musical jobs, including a Brinks guard and a stint as a corrections officer at Rikers Island jail.

Not the sort of occupation one expects for a woman who's a hair less than 5 feet tall.

"The main thing is I didn't show fear," Jones says. "A couple times I had inmates call me out or say they were gonna snatch me up in their cell. I didn't flinch or jump but when they walked away I couldn't move. My legs were frozen."

Her singing career was revived by young soul and funk fanatics. Gabe Roth founded Desco Records in 1996 and booked Jones to sing backing vocals for another artist. Jones wound up recording three singles for the label.

When it folded, Roth and partner Neal Sugarman started the Daptone label. Jones and the Dap-Kings' first album, 2002's "Dap Dippin'," was one of the label's initial releases.

The album was followed by plenty of road work - up to 250 dates a year - and 2005's "Naturally." The band picked up a ferocious live reputation as well as celebrity fans such as David Byrne, Lou Reed and Kanye West.

The Winehouse connection set the stage for "100 Days, 100 Nights," released in October.

"I think we were already growing when the Dap-Kings got on the mainstream," Jones says. "Maybe without the exposure from Mark and Amy it might have taken another couple years."

But don't discount what Jones and her band have done themselves.

"We have been working to be heard," Jones says. "This is the real R&B, funk and soul. Right now, doors are opening for me and the Dap-Kings. We're looking forward to just putting out more good music."

ON TOUR

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings

WITH: The Ivan Milev Band

WHEN: 8 p.m. Tuesday

WHERE: Skipper's Smokehouse, 910 Skipper Road, Tampa; (813) 971-0666

COST: $14 advance, $17 day of show

Curtis Ross can be reached at (813) 259-7568 or cross@tampatrib.com.

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