An interview with Sharon Jones from Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings in advance of their performance at Newport Folk Festival, Newport, RI, Newport Mercury, July 28, 2010

1. JULY 28-AUGUST 3, 2010
FREE
BATTER UP!
Introducing Newport
Crepe Company
LOW-CARB
CAMPAIGN
David Cicilline
skips the pasta
DOWN TO
EARTH
DIVA
SHARON JONES

2. newport folk festival
Super soul
SISTER
The new queen of funk is a former
prison guard who still lives in the projects
in Far Rockaway, Queens, with her mom,
washes clothes at the Laundromat and Wow, baby! It might seem like Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings hit it big overnight. But they’ve actually been around a
buys sensible heels at Payless. long time. PHOTO BY LAURA HANIFIN
mercury
SHARON JONES & THE since April when Daptone Records version of Woody Guthrie’s “This her Sharon and it stuck. “I went to sing along. On Halloween 2008, when
released their fourth album, “I Land is Your Land” featured on the school and spelled my name Shéron the band performed at Boston’s
DAP-KINGS
Learned the Hard Way the group’s
,” “Up in the Air” movie soundtrack, and the teacher would correct it and Wilbur Theatre, I saw Jones dance
Sun., Aug. 1, Fort Stage, 12:35-1:30
page 11
popularity has exploded. The album and their breakthrough album, “100 put an ‘a.’” Jones said laughing. Her with guys dressed as The Blues
p.m. debuted at No. 15 on the Billboard Days, 100 Nights” (2007). father died when she was 12 and her Brothers and then yell for security
200. Currently, the band is completing mother, Ella M. Jones, raised Jones when a sausage-clad woman would-
BY JENNIFER NICOLE SULLIVAN “It’s scaring me because it seemed a jam-packed tour that included and her five siblings in New York n’t leave the stage. But Jones says
S
he’s like James Brown in a like it happened overnight,” said cities in Europe and a stop at George City In August, when her summer
. she always tries to handle out-of-
JULY 28-AUGUST 3, 2010
dress. A chic, ’60s shift dress Jones via telephone on July 2 as she Wein’s Newport Folk Festival on tour ends, Jones plans to shop for hand fans with love.
with matching heels. But with finished her wash at a Brooklyn Sunday, Aug. 1. If you’ve seen talk separate homes for herself and her “I catch myself, because I find
raw, powerhouse vocals and unstop- Laundromat. “And I’m going on 15 shows such as “Late Show with mother and sister in North Augusta, myself get angry … that corrections
pable shimmy shake moves that years with this record label. This is David Letterman” or “The Tonight S.C., across the bridge from her birth stuff starts coming out,” said Jones
would have wearied the late Godfa- my fourth album and people are like Show with Jay Leno” lately, you’ve town. about a recent fan. “I said ‘Baby, do
ther of Soul in his prime. ‘Oh my God, you’re great!’ I’m like, probably seen Jones and her suit- Jones, who began singing gospel me a favor, honey, don’t be an ass …
She is Sharon Jones, the explosive ‘Thank you,’ but I’m like, wow baby, clad, eight-piece band (three-piece music at church, believes her voice but come on, baby, I still love you.
frontwoman of the retro soul/funk I’ve been around here a long time!” horn section, two guitars, drums, is a gift from God and that she’s (smooch sounds) Now get off the
band that sounds like they’ve time Back in 1996, the Queen of Funk baritone sax and bass) tear up the grateful to use it, despite a stinging stage.’”
traveled from the late ’60s to deliver (dubbed by the now-defunct British stage with new songs from “I rejection from a Sony producer in Jones has always admired Aretha
their infectious grooves. With roots cult magazine, Big Daddy) got Learned the Hard Way” (recorded on the ’80s. Franklin, so she was overjoyed to
in Brown’s native Augusta, Ga., the together with Gabe Roth (a.k.a. an old Ampex eight-track tape “I knew I could sing and I knew I perform covers of “Respect” and “Do
effervescent 54-year-old has led the Bosco Mann), bandleader and machine to achieve an old school had talent, but for somebody to tell Right Woman, Do Right Man” at The
Brooklyn-based Dap-Kings with her bassist for The Dap-Kings and head sound), such as the title track, “She you you can’t make it because you’re Apollo’s Hall of Fame induction gala
groovin’ voice since the mid-‘90s. But of Daptone Records (formerly Desco Ain’t a Child No More,” “Better too black, too fat, too short, too old, for the Queen of Soul in June. Jones
Records), to sing backup for soul Things,” and one of Jones’ favorites, you know, you’re not what we’re electrified the stage, but when Jones
singer Lee Fields’ song “Switch- the pared-down, Sam Cooke-style looking for, that was a knocker,” said tried to talk to Franklin afterward,
blade” and record an impromptu “Mama Don’t Like My Man,” the 5-foot-1 singer. “But all I could do she got snubbed.
voiceover that won over the band. because she said, “it’s like a true sto- was, like, you know, Lord, what I “I said, ‘Ms. Franklin, I just want
“Gabe was like, ‘Sharon, just say ry Electric and timely, the song
.” have is unusual. I never took a vocal you to know the first time I saw you
something, just talk, you know how “Money” asks, “Money, why don’t lesson, anything. This is a gift. … with that dashiki on your head sit-
old black guys stand on the corner or you like me?” Prophetically, The He’s not going to give me a gift and I ting on that ‘Amazing Grace’ album,
hanging out, talking with a switch- Dap-Kings wrote the song five years don’t use it.” I knew that was my inspiration. I
blade,’” said Jones, a former Rikers ago during better economic times Before she takes the stage, Jones wanted to be like you and sing.’ And
Island corrections officer and wed- and reworked it for the album. While prays that God anoints her voice and she said, ‘humph.’ That was it,”
ding singer. “I was like ‘OK.’ And many of the songs sound like pages the band and “don’t let me forget any Jones said. “That’s OK. ... She didn’t
they were rolling. … I was just from Jones’ personal life, The Dap- lyrics.” Previously, Jones wore hurt my feelings. I didn’t cry and I’ve
talkin’ mess … ‘I told ya I’d cut ya! I Kings (who backed Amy Winehouse bright vintage store frocks, but now got nothing but good things to say
cut ya so bad…’” on “Back to Black”) write the songs she wears sleek dresses by Los Ange- about her … but I’ll never be to that
About a year later, Roth called and Jones adds flourishes and les designer Trina Turk and fringy, point to where I’d ever be that mean
Jones to record some singles with changes. Tina Turner-style dresses by New to someone.”
The Soul Providers, and they eventu- Humble and grounded, Jones lives York designer Minnae Chae. And to Later she added: “I just wanna
The old way. The band’s fourth ally became Sharon Jones & The in the projects in Far Rockaway, dance without injury, she’s been keep a cool head on. I don’t wanna be
album, ‘I Learned the Hard Way,’ Dap-Kings. Since then, they’ve Queens, with her 77-year-old mother. wearing lower-heeled shoes from all popular. I don’t want no paparazzi
achieved that old-school R&B sound toured extensively and released She was born Shéron Lafaye Jones, Payless. up my butt and I can’t come out. And
by recording on an old Ampex eight- “Dap Dippin’” (2002), “Naturally” but when people couldn’t pronounce It’s a hysterical treat when Jones I don’t want to get to the point when I
track tape machine. (2005), the album that features the her French name, people just called invites folks on stage to dance or can’t talk to my fans and be me.”