Sharon Jones
Biography
Sharon Lafaye Jones (May 4, 1956 – November 18, 2016) was an American soul and funk singer. She was the lead singer of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, a soul and funk band based in Brooklyn, New York. Jones experienced breakthrough success relatively late in life, releasing her first record when she was 40 years old. In 2014, Jones was nominated for her first Grammy, in the category Best R&B Album, for Give the People What They Want.
Born Sharon Lafaye Jones in Augusta, Georgia, she moved to New York City at an early age. With a gifted voice, performing gospel songs in Church, since childhood, she has only recently received acclaim by the public and her peers in the areas of Soul, Funk and Rhythm and Blues. Until the late 90s she was still employed at her "day Job" as a Correction Officer at NYC's Rikers Island. Initially a backup session singer, she impressed Record Executives and - Producers Gabriel Roth and Philip Lehman, when she was the only one to show up for a recording session, and demonstrated her ability to sing on several different backup tracks. "Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings" were formed In 2002. They were comprised of Sharon Jones backed by members from three bands.From "The Soul Providers", Bosco Mann on bass, guitarist Binky Griptite, percussionist Fernando Velez, trumpet player Anda Szilagyi and organist Earl Maxton. They were joined by "The Mighty Imperials"s saxophonist Leon Michels and drummer Homer Steinweiss plus Neal Sugarman from "Sugarman 3". As "Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings", the band has released several critically acclaimed albums including "Naturally" (2005) and "I Learned the Hard Way (2010). A milestone in her career occurred in 2007 when she appeared in the film, "The Great Debaters", where she played "Lila" and sang "That's What My Baby Likes". Additioanlly, in the film's soundtrack, Sharon performs the Gospel classics "Up Above My Head" and "Two Wings". This film appearance along with the soundtrack music introduced Sharon to a much larger audience. Her subsequent TV appearances with The Dap Kings include a spirited mini concert on "Austin City Limits"(2008), as well as appearances on "Late Night With David Letterman" (2010) and "The Conan O'Brien Show" on TBS (2010).
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Full filmography
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2014) as Self - Musical Guest
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2015) as Self - Musical Guest
- Late Show with David Letterman (1993) as Self - Musical Guest
- Conan (2010) as Self - Musical Guest
- Saturday Night Live (1975) as Self - Musical Guest
- The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (2005) as Self - Musical Guest
- Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2003) as Self - Musical Guest
- Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993) as Self - Musical Guest
- The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992) as Self - Musical Guest
- The Ellen DeGeneres Show (2003) as Self - Musical Guest
- The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) as Wedding Singer #1
- Marvel's Luke Cage (2016) as Sharon Jones
- Austin City Limits (1975) as Self - Musical Guest
- Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (2009) as Self - Musical Guest
- Tavis Smiley (2004) as Self - Guest
- The Queen Latifah Show (2000) as Self - Musical Guest
- The Great Debaters (2007) as Lila
- Mavis! (2015) as Self
- Miss Sharon Jones! (2015) as Self
- Living on Soul (2017)
- Death and Taxes (2010) as Self
- Queen City (2013) as Sharon LaDay