Sharon Jones of Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings perform during the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tenn. (2012/AP Photo)
One of my most anticipated albums of the year, “Give the People What they Want” by Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, which was due out in August, has been postponed.
The charismatic lead singer Jones has been diagnosed with stage one bile duct cancer. However, the cancer was caught early and she expected to make a full recovery after a lengthy recuperation time.
Here si the state ment Jones released via her publicist:
“Over the last few weeks I haven’t felt good and I didn’t know what was going on. We sadly had to cancel shows while I went through a series of tests and short hospital stays. We just found out that I have a stage-one tumor on my bile duct. Luckily we caught it really early and fast and the doctors say it’s operable and curable!”
I’m wishing Jones nothing but the smoothest of recoveries and get well wishes.
She is hands down the best performer I have seen live and I’m fortunate to have seen her on a number of occasions in person. Dynamic on stage and with the kind of emotion and voice that grabs a hold of your soul in two notes, she is the greatest contemporary singer out there.
Don’t believe me? Watch her sing “100 Days, 100 Nights” and “How Long Do I Have to Wait?” in an elevator.
Fun fact: Gabriel Roth, bassist, producer songwriter for the band for the band as well as co-owner of Daptone Records, is a Riverside native.
And if you need to get up and dance this morning, here’s “When I Come Home.”
Get well soon, Sharon!