Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
Smoky-voiced Sharon Jones honed her vocal skills in the church. As a teenager she moved with her family from Augusta, Georgia to Brooklyn, NY, and found herself doing back-up vocals for gospel, soul, and blues artists. She teamed with the Dap-Kings-the formidable house band for Brooklyn-based funk and soul label Daptone Records, led by bassist and producer Bosco Mann-and they released 2002's Dap Dippin' with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. After extensive worldwide touring, the band released its most recent album, Naturally, in 2005. According to The Houston Press, the album captures the "analog swing classic of James Brown funk and the pop-minded soul of vintage Motown." The Austin Chronicle says of the band: "Brooklyn took it, placed it in the trusty hand of Bosco Mann, and the funk has been better for it ever since."