Dap-Kings Singer Sharon Jones Dead at 60

Singer Sharon Jones, the lead singer of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, died Friday of pancreatic cancer, according to her Facebook page.

She was 60.

via Variety:

The soul and funk singer was recently the subject of the documentary “Miss Sharon Jones!” directed by Barbara Kopple. Jones released her first album at the age of 40, and was nominated for her first Grammy in 2014 for best R&B album for “Give the People What They Want.”

Born in North Augusta, South Carolina, she moved to Brooklyn as a child. Though she worked sporadically as a session singer, she worked for many years as a corrections officer at Rikers Island and an armored car guard for Wells Fargo Bank.

In 1996, she appeared on a session backing soul singer Lee Fields, recording the song “Switchblade” which appeared on the Soul Providers’ album “Soul Tequila.”

The Dap-Kings were formed with performers from the Soul Providers and the Mighty Imperials, and Sharon Jones released her first album on the new Daptones Record label. Among their albums were “Dap Dippin’ With Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings,” “Naturally,” “100 Days, 100 Nights,” and “I Learned the Hard Way.”

She appeared in the 2007 film “The Great Debaters” and performed “That’s What My Baby Likes” on the soundtrack. Jones performed with acts as diverse as Lou Reed, Phish, David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, Michael Buble. She performed in the closing scenes of the Marvel Netflix series “Luke Cage.”

RIP.