Sharon Jones, The Dap-Kings

Capturing the joy and thrill of the great Motown and Stax Records artists of the 1960s and 1970s, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings led a revival in classic soul, funk and R&B and helped shape the sounds of Amy Winehouse, Mark Ronson and Michael Bublé. Born in the same Georgia town as James Brown, Jones was a session singer in the 1970s and spent years working as a prison guard at Rikers Island, New York and singing at local talent contests before being spotted by band leader Gabriel Roth in 1996. With his label Desco showcasing a roster of retro R&B acts, Roth (sometimes known as Bosco Mann) kick-started a scene for soul enthusiasts and collectors and joined forces with Jones and a host of musician friends to become the Soul Providers. The label evolved into Daptone Records and the band became Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings for debut Dap' Dippin (2002), but they initially mainly drew interest from Europe, where Mark Ronson became a fan. He hired the band to back Amy Winehouse on her classic Back To Black (2006) album and from there the band's reputation grew with albums Naturally (2005) and 100 Days, 100 Nights (2007). Rejecting digital recording techniques for analogue eight-track machines and a hand-built studio, their authentic sound led to fourth album I Learned The Hard Way (2010) reaching Number 15 in the US charts and the band went on to work with Michael Bublé, Phish and David Byrne. © ©Copyright Music Story 2020