SHARON JONES

Interview by Miss Shing-a-ling

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Sharon Jones Interview with comments by Gabriel Roth of the Dapkings & Daptone Records

Conducted by Kimberlee Fuller in Bosco Mann's Basement on 2 December 2001


K: So I'm sitting here on a Sunday afternoon with Sharon Jones. One of the first things that I wanted to personally note in this interview is that the first time I saw you, it had a major affect on me as a girl & a funk collector. I just couldn't believe that there was somebody that was doing this now. That was a pretty remarkable experience in my life. The one thing that I'd really like to know, is what (wo)men inspired you all along, or as a girl & even now? What gave you inspiration to keep this soul, funk, gospel thing going?

S: Well, actually, the whole funk thing is...I was brought up around the funk. You know I was a 50's child so that funk to me at the time was there & now it's old. It's like these guys (the Dapkings) now are like, "Oh this song, this song is bad (meaning good)." I used to dance to those songs when they came out. James Brown really inspired me to do a lot of this stuff, so when I met these guys & they were into the James Brown funk with Marva Whitney, I already knew that stuff. It was just natural & it all came from my background with gospel 'cause I've always been in church but there was a lot of stuff. Me & my brother used to imitate James Brown when I was a kid.

K: So that's how you got dancing, just watching James & taking it to the next level...

S: Aretha really inspired me. Aretha then Patti LaBelle & Natalie Cole. All of those singers, they all paved ways. Their stuff was their stuff but the funk stuff...I've always loved funk & that type of music. You just have to keep it alive because I don't think it should die. It should get much more respect than it's getting right now.

K: One thing is, a lot of performers from back in the day still perform but their style & sound have changed & they're past funk; they've moved onto something else. But you're interested in preserving the (original funk) sound?

S: I do other music but this - funk - I live to do some funk, man & that's why I like these guys (the Dapkings) & I knew it was a blessing; God sent them to me because I'm able to do my stuff & be myself. I don't have to be some skinny little 20-something or 19 year old with the little rippled stomach with everyone doing the same dances & doing things with their throat that I don't understand. That bugs me out!

K: So you grew up in Augusta, GA...

S: I was born in Augusta, GA but my people lived across the bridge. It was a mile across the Savannah River which was North Augusta, SC. But to be truthful to you, I was really raised in NY. I would go to school here but my mother would send us south every summer because she wanted us to get out of NY. I came to NY when I was 3. I would go back & forth till I was a teenager.

K: So you like living in NY since basically this is where you're from?

S: Yeah but I love to go south 'cause I love to fish so I like to go back to my roots.

K: What's your favorite kind of fish?

S: Bass! Big mouth Bass!

K: Cooked what way?

S: Fresh water bass?! You can fry that bad boy up or fillet it.

K: Do you fish yourself?

S: Yeah! Girl, don't even get me started.

G: She fishes a lot.

S: I could go fishing 5 days a week if I could but I at least try to put in 2 days.

K: So you skin the fish yourself & everything?

S: Yeah & I put the worm on, pull 'em out & do everything. Girl, I'm a nature girl. Georgia roots! I'm a natural person. I'm down to earth.

K: Have you been hunting before too?

G: Does hanging a dog count as hunting?

S: Oh God. I was the baby of my family. My mother had 6 kids. I was the youngest but my father...I was a little tomboy. I had marbles in this pocket, rocks in this pocket, a sling shot in the back, a bow & arrow...

G: Depending on how much she liked you, she'd hit you with something different.

S: My father actually taught me how to shoot but they wouldn't let me have a gun so I slang shot. I was hell with a sling shot, girl.

K: Like birds & stuff?

S: Birds & stuff.

K: I noticed that New Orleans has a major influence on your sound, especially you covering "Humpty Bump" by the Vibrettes, doing "Bump & Touch" & "Dap Walk" which have the whole New Orleans sort of feel. Have you spent time down there? How did that sound all come together?

S: The music was there & I just felt it. Nah, seriously, I've never been to New Orleans but it's just a matter of the music.

K: Did you know those songs before or did Gabe & the guys introduce them to you?

S: Nah, like (Eddie Bo's) "If It's Good To You" & "Hook 'N' Sling", they brought to me but once I heard them, I was like, "Ah yeah!". But that sound, the music is just, you sing what you feel.

G: Sharon will do a mean show too when she's mad. If she gets real pissed off, it's just like getting possessed by the devil, man. She'll be screaming. She does great shows when she's mad. Sometimes we try to make her mad before we go on. Like we'll, say, "Sharon, the promoter says he's not gonna pay us tonight, all right? Hit the stage."

S: FUCK THAT!

K: So you've always had your roots in the church choir & what some people may not know is that you play the organ at church every Sunday.

S: I've been at this church since I was 14. So you know how old I am now. I'm not shy to tell my age. Should I tell my age?

G: She's 28.

S: Gabe, stop lying. How am I supposed to keep funk alive?! I got to let them know who I am & how old I am.

K: That you earned your keep.
S: Thank you & they're (the Dapkings) proud of me 'cause where did this 45 year old woman get all of this energy from? So I've been at my church now for 31 years, the Universal Church of God. Up in Queens. They're like my family. The choir performs on Sundays. Sometimes we go out or have programs on Saturdays. There's two other girls (that I sing with) in the church. I always introduce them as my sisters. We will just sing harmonies. We heard this group & we just go like, "Ting-a-ling-a-ling" in 3 part harmony & we just open our mouths. Now they're all grown & they have kids. It's amazing. I watched the kids that I grew up with & now they have kids so I've been with my 3rd generation of kids at the church. With the organ, I do the adult choir & the young people plus our choir. I wrote some gospel. I wrote a couple of our theme songs at the church. I wanna record the song I wrote. It's called "Call On God". I wrote it when I was 18 years old. I went through some changes. It was very spiritual & it helped me get through.

K: So when did you first start song writing?

S: I actually stopped. I gotta get back into it. I went through some changes being young & I wanted to sing but my mother wouldn't let me because I was this church thing & they didn't want me to do the clubs but when I turned 18, I was like Hell. I was always a good kid but when I turned 18 I felt that this was a gift that God gave me & I have to sing. I'm not happy when I'm not singing. I just take that gift & I do it. Things just come to me. I play drums, I play bass. If you give me an instrument & you just give me a little time with it I can figure it out.

K: When was your first live show?
S: Not the thing when I played "Angel" in the church & I sang "Silent Night"? Not that one, huh? [laughter] My first live show, I think I was in highschool & this group came out & I did this song called "Step Into My World". [sings: oooh hooo hooo, why don't you step into my world] That was The Magic Touch. I sang with them when I was 18 years old. I didn't know I was singing & this guy heard me & he told me to come to his studio & when I got there, he told me to meet Magic Touch; that was the girls there. There was actually 2 of them. One would do the high note & then the other girl would sing but I could do the high note & sing so they hired me to do a show with them in Albany, NY. That was my first time & these women were older. At the time, I was built & I didn't realize what kind of body I had & they told me I could wear this girl's clothes. Child, let me tell you. When I put that little...and these were the times of hip huggers & hot pants....I'm talkin' the 70's. I graduated from highscho
ol in '74. Let's get that together. At the time, I don't think I had even graduated yet so maybe it was more like '73 & I hadn't even turned 18 & that was my first live show with this group & they wanted me to go on tour with them but they wanted me to entertain certain producers & managers.

K: No way?!

S: "I mean, what you mean, entertain for them? Like sing for them?" So it wasn't about that. They was trying to sell some bodies, man. I was like, I don't have to go out there & give it up & get on my knees; I have a gift & I told them what to do. So they thought I was 18 & I was young & I was stupid but I told them what they could to w/ their entertainment.

K: Did you also go out & support other funk artists at the time?

S: I've opened up for Brass Construction, Peaches & Herb, the Drifters. I had a band. We used to be the best band in the neighborhood. We used to call ourselves Community Funk. Then we changed our named to Deja Vu.

K: What's the first record you recorded?

S: I did "Step Into My World" over but that was a cover thing. The first thing I recorded never did anything because it was with a reggae group. I can't even think of the group's name. That was early, like '71. You know what? I think the most major thing I did was at Brooklyn College. I was in a play, one of the first black musicals. I played a big part & it was a gospel thing called "Sister Salvation" with William Marshall. I knew right then & there that I had to stay on that stage & be in that light. I was natural. I acted, I did the tears & I cried, the whole thing man, I became that character & vocally, I had to sing nice & loud. It was amazing. So that was the greatest & first time recording that I felt famous. One of the guys that wrote it did it as a thesis & we went off Broadway too & did it in the Village.

K: So then did you ever think that maybe you wanted to persue a career in acting?

S: Yes, I tried but I didn't have the look. All jokes aside, coming up at the time, I was too dark. It depends on what you're trying to do because look at Stephanie Mills. They didn't let her do the wheels on television. That's sad but I've came through that coming up in my life. That's one of the reasons too why my music career didn't kick off 'cause coming up in the 70's & early 80's, you had to be light skinned & thin.

G: One of the biggest differences between the 70's & 80's & 50's & 60's is Aretha wouldn't have come up in the 80's.

S: They wanted me to record that vanilla-manilla-ga-lilly. They wanted me to go into the studio & record for these girls & they was gonna perform & they wanted me to stand back & sing & let them be out. That was my downfall, my complexion.

K: How did you meet Lee Fields?

S: Through Gabe & the Soul Providers.

G: We called Lee Fields in to do that record ("Take It Or Leave It"). We were just kind of kidding around when we were up at the studio one night saying, "Who should we have sing on these?" & we were like, "What if we got Lee Fields up in here?" & Phillipe (Lehman) checked on it. I don't know where he checked. I think he called BMI or something & got a phone number & we called him up & were like, "Mr. Fields, would you like to sing on our record?" & he was like, "Sure," & he just showed up & we were kind of freaked out. We didn't know what we were doing really & then we asked Sharon to come in & do back ups. You (Sharon) probably didn't meet him then 'cause he wasn't there when you were doing the back ups. You probably met him later on when we did those first shows at the Wetlands.

S: No, I met him later on when we were in the studio recording something else. I came down & ya'll told him that I was the one that did the back ups.

K: Is there any chance of you & Lee Fields doing a duet for Daptone?

G: I have one recorded. There's another too...

S: We really would love to do some more stuff together though. We were gonna go to Spain together & I would've loved that. [starts pretending she's doing a duet with Lee singing "She's A Lovermaker"]

K: The first time you went on tour was to England. What were some of the highlights of that tour?

S: God. The highlight was - I was going to England. It was the most amazing thing when we got there, when we opened up for Maceo at the Forum. There were so many people there. I came on, right & if I would've said, "Everyone take off your clothes & get naked," they would've gotten naked. When Maceo came on I was standing at the back of the stage & they're like, "Maceo, call Sharon up." That was amazing. I was like, "Get out of here!" Everywhere we went, it was just great. I saw the Queen!

G: We saw the Queen!

S: We saw the Queen at this dinky little hotel. They told us we were supposed to be staying at this big hotel but we saw the Queen in the ghetto.

G: This is in Swansee. We were supposed to be staying at this fancy hotel & we get there & something didn't work out or whatever & they say, "Well you don't mind staying at this other place, do you?" & they put us in this place, across from the train station, above a massage palor & a gay bar where there were heavy metal bands playing all night at full volume.

S: Singing, "Suck my dick [deh neh neh neh]." It was crazy, I swear & then the next line was, "Do it in the ass." & they (the Dapkings) was like, "Sharon, you lying." but I was right there in the room & I heard it.

G: It was nasty.

S: The guy (promoter) said I could stay with his wife but I said, "No, I'm staying with the band, man."

G: The first thing in the morning, you start hearing Sharon screaming, "It's the God damn Queen!," & we look out the window & it's the Queen who hasn't been to Wales in like 25 years or something, she hadn't even stepped foot over there & had come to Swansee for some reason...

S: She was dedicating that building over by the train station or something.

G: So everyone's leaning out of their windows looking at the Queen & I ran downstairs & started waving up at Sharon. [immitates English people politely clapping their hands] In England, you know, they're polite about that. When the Queen's coming up, they're not like "Whoop Whoop" (Arsenio Hall show style) & over everything while I was down there in the crowd clapping quietly, there's Sharon, hanging out of the window like, "It's the God damn Queen. Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Get the camera! It's the fucking Queen!"

S: Do you see what I mean? That was amazing! That was the most amazing thing in the world man.

K: So you just got back from a month long residency in Barcelona, Spain. Tell me a little bit about that.

S: Yo. I'll give Gabe props man. Gabe can get anything he wants to hear from me for getting me that trip. That was great. We worked 5 days/week. At night, at 12 AM we went on for an hour. We ate for free in this restaurant but if the restaurant was closed they gave us money to eat. We had apartments. We were at this club, La Boit. They (Mas Y Mas), they're owners of different clubs & buildings over there. They hired us for a month. They had TV shows, newspaper articles, they hooked us all up. These guys had posters of me singing up outside of the club that were taller than me & I'm 4'11". I'm going over there again in January but it's not with these guys (the Dapkings).

K: This was your first tour with Daptone.

S: We did Aspen Colorado for New Years 2000 but we were still the Soul Providers then.

G: We've done shows in different cities (in the states) but we haven't really done tours here. It's hard with a big band. In the states you have to pay a lot of dues & to go on the road with 8 or 10 people is crazy expensive so you get isolated things. Like somebody will say, "If you come up to VT, we're gonna give you a show." We'll probably start doing more of that this year or next year, hooking up with little tours.

S: That New Year's gig, that topped it too. We brought in the year 2000! Everyone's all like, "The world is ending, we're all gonna die" & I was like, let me die singing, baby. Happy New Year! We opened up for Dr. John & this very famous New Orleans group, the Wild Magnolias. We've only just begun.

K: Tell me a little bit about what you've been working on lately. You just came out with "Got A Thing On My Mind" Part 1 & 2.

G: There's a ballad "Make It Good To Me" & "Got To Be The Way It Is". That's a hungry man's tune.

S: Those are some really funky songs! What really got me was when Gabe took Janet Jackson's "What Have You Done For Me Lately" & he funked that up. He just took my mind! People hear that & they're like, "What the?! Oh my God. That's great....oh shit! That's BAD!". I think that 's amazing & "I Got A Thing On My Mind"...

K: How did those songs come together? Were they written by Gabe or you & Gabe or you?

S: Let me tell you a little something about Gabe. I think Gabe is an alien & he's in disguise, man, he's been around a loooong time. He's really like 112 years old, you know what I'm saying? And he hung around a real lot of black people when the funk was coming out. He was actually in James Brown's band. He's amazing 'cause of this stuff. Listen to this stuff! I don't know if he writes stuff for me because whatever he writes, it fits like a glove.

K: It's like something you'd write for youself anyway.

S: Sounds like I wrote it. This shit's amazing, man.

G: [very seriously] I write for you (Sharon).

K: Do you feel that there is a difference between the Desco & Daptone sound?

S: Yeah because when they (the Dapkings) were on Desco, they were all beginners. They were really just starting. I was like 40, maybe 38 & I met a bunch of these 20 year olds into James Brown funk?! And they were collecting it & they started bringing out stuff that I hadn't even heard, stuff that my mother & them used to play, that old funk music & when these guys started writing those songs like "Soul Tequila" I was like, "Damn!". It was amazing. They have some kind of soul roots in them. I loved them from then. That was it. I knew it, that I would be able to do my thing. I would be able to get up & perform funk on the stage, dance like I want to & nobody's gonna laugh at me & make me feel out of place.

K: Did you actually invent the "Bump 'N' Touch" dance?

S: Yeah right there in the studio.

G: We wanted to record a song but we really didn't have anything so we went to eat, got some sandwiches & came back. I don't know what happened but I told Sharon, "OK, we're gonna do this song & it's gonna be called "The Bump 'N' Touch"" & the rest Sharon made up after I pressed RECORD.

S: Wasn't that awesome?! And after that, we came in & did "Damn, It's Hot".

G: And that's just because the air conditioning was off.

S: I came in & was just like, "Damn, it's hot in here...I'm burning up!"

G: That's why the Sharon Jones Show is always hot because it's never going to be the same twice. She changes the lyrics every time. Most of the songs have 2 or 3 verses. Sharon will hit the first one a couple of times & then she just does her thing & makes up some other shit.

S: And I'm looking at Gabe while I'm on stage like, "And the tree, um, hit me in the knee?" In Spain they didn't understand English & girl, I'm singing this slow song, "I don't know....(deh neh neh neh)....I don't know," then the band starts going & I said, "Your man go out, and he tells you he was gonna go out with the fellas & then he goes out to the club & you don't understand a damn word I'm saying right now," & they were all like, "Yeeaaahh!". It was so funny, but they loved me. Those people were mesmerized. They were talking stuff in Spanish, saying it was a gift & they had never seen someone with so much energy.

K: It really is an extremely energetic show. That's the thing that really sets you apart from other performers, especially nowadays because I've seen many performers from back in the day that have lost it over the years but you come out & you've got 10x the energy that they even had back in the 60's & 70's. Every show, I've walked away just covered in sweat.

S: So you know what I'm like when I get off! The best thing is, in Europe, they accept the funk over there. Over here we do jobs & it's like, "Eh," but over there in Europe, they appreciate it.

K: Have you ever sat down & thought about why funk is so underappreciated in the states?

S: I can say for myself coming up, at my age that it was around me when I was growing up but once they brought in the new stuff, you were made to think that that (sound) was 'old funk' & it wasn't going to go anywhere. They bring back the old school like Jammin' 105 & the disco & the 80's but they're not going to the late 60's or 70's which is the funk. That's why we have the field. When we recorded, one guy said, "I thought this stuff was recorded in the 70's." We record right here, in this room, live. There's so much energy & everyone is just feeding off of one another.

K: You really have a true soul family.

S: We really help each other here & on stage. To be truthful to you, I don't psych myself up. I might have me a little drink of tequilla but that's about it. I like to get me a little drink but I wait until later. I have to get in a state of mind but when I walk out there & I get on that stage, I'm no longer me. I'm like down to earth Sharon Jones here but once I come on stage, I just go out. I lose my focus, but I don't lose my focus on the music. It's not about me. It's not about being a star. I'm on stage & I'm having fun. These people all came to see me. They all love me & they appreciate it & I'm gonna do my best. I'm gonna give you 100%. I'm gonna give you 120%. I'm going out. You came to see me & this is my job, to please you.

K: So you've worked other full-time jobs in the past, at a correctional facility & for Wells Fargo but now you're just a full-time soul singer?

S: We've really just begun. Everyone told me I was stupid not to be working but I don't have any kids. I help my mother & I take care of my brother. I am enjoying my life to the fullest. It's not to the point where I'm begging or anything like that. I'm doing pretty well. We're gonna get more stuff going on. I'm fine, I'm not complaining. I think it's gonna be great. I can see myself hanging in another 10 years, who knows?!

G: 150 years.

S: As long as I have my energy & my health, I'm gonna do it.

K: So you prefer this lifestyle then?

S: Shit yeah! I worked. I started taking care of myself at a young age. I've worked since I was a teenager doing this & doing that & up until 5 years ago. Now, I've decided not to work but other than that, I've worked. I do wedding bands too. If I worked 40 hours, I wouldn't make what I bring home in 4 hours singing. But with the wedding bands I'm doing covers but this (with the Dapkings), I'm being myself. If I have to make a choice to tour, I'll do that. For the weddings I cover Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, put the gown on, make Uncle Paul get up & dance with me. Believe it or not I take the same energy I have on stage to the weddings. I don't be playing around. I've been with that wedding band for 17 years.

K: What have you been listening to lately?

S: Actually I really haven't been listening to anything. The main thing is that I need to get the lyrics down to these songs 'cause I know we're gonna start performing them soon so I listen to my own stuff & I've been doing a lot of work with my choir. I really love to hear some of that old jazz stuff like At Last & Fever. I like the oldies. There's one new song I like, what's that little girl's name? It reminds me of "It's a Man's World" [starts singing "I keep on falling in & out of love with you"]. I think that song has power. I took that song & changed the lyrics to it & made it into a gospel song. I like Luther's (Vandross) new song about the lady at the restaurant.

K: Do you support other new funk artists?

G: Sharon went over (to England) & did some shows with Speedometer.

S: They flew me over for one night to do a Marva Whitney tribute at the Jazz Cafe.

K: So you have any closing words.

S: The main thing is that I really want to keep funk alive. I really think we should just concentrate on getting it out. I think more people should listen to it & really appreciate it because that is their roots. It's all right to get all new & stuff but don't take away. You gotta have the real instruments, none of that electronic stuff. That's keeping it live. Stop trying to be something else. Be yourself. Be natural. Enjoy life because you don't have long & you don't know what's gonna happen & the only way you're going to enjoy life is through funk! We will funkanize you!

Kym

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