Sharon Jones, lead singer of the funk / soul / R&B powerhouse band Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings has died at the young age of 60 of pancreatic cancer. She fought a good fight, even releasing two more records and touring after her cancer diagnosis. Her albums with the Dap-Kings were a shot in the arm to the music industry which had pretty much ignored her for years. They couldn’t ignore her when she was dropping future classics like “100 Days, 100 Nights,” “How Do I Let a Good Man Down?”, and “Your Thing Is a Drag.”
Her live performances (none of which I ever got to see, apart from recorded video) were fiery affairs, and she caught and held your attention from the moment she stepped onstage. You knew things were about to get real when she’d kick off her shoes so she could get down harder.
She will be greatly missed, but take heart in knowing she’s strutting with James Brown somewhere right now.
Keep your mind open.
