Dee Dee Sharp (born Dione LaRue; September 9, 1945)[1] is an American R&B singer.
After beginning her career as a backing vocalist, Sharp had a string of hit records as a solo artist in the 1960s: "Mashed Potato Time" (1962), "Gravy (For My Mashed Potatoes)" (1962), "Ride!" (1962), and "Do the Bird" (1963). She later had dance hits with the songs "Share My Love" (1975) and "Breaking and Entering" (1981).
Life and career
Early life and education
Sharp began playing the piano from an early age and directed church choirs for her grandfather's and other congregations in her hometown of Philadelphia.
When Sharp was thirteen, her mother suffered a car accident, which spurred her to find a singing job to help support the family while her mother recovered from her injuries.[1][3][4] After Sharp promised to keep up with her schooling, she received her grandmother's blessing.[5][3] Sharp responded to an ad in the daily news for backup singers. Her first job was with Willa Ward Moultrie and was soon singing backup vocals for the likes of Lloyd Price, Chubby Checker, Bobby Rydell, Frankie Avalon and Jackie Wilson.[1][5][3][4]
According to Sharp, Chubby Checker discovered her.[2] When she was providing backing vocals during one of his recording sessions, he suggested her to Bernie Lowe, head of Cameo-Parkway Records.[2] After she sang with Checker on his hit single "Slow Twistin'," (1962) Lowe was keen to make her a solo artist.[6] She was later asked to accompany Checker as his opening act when he was scheduled to appear at the 1962 Seattle World's Fair.[2]
In 1962, she was signed by Cameo-Parkway and was re-christened Dee Dee Sharp by producers Kal Mann and Bernie Lowe.[1][4] At the time, her brother called her "Dee" and since she sang in "D sharp" she was given this new identity.[5] She produced a string of successful Billboard Hot 100top 10hits: Mashed Potato Time" (#2), "Gravy (For My Mashed Potatoes)" (#9), "Ride!" (#5) and "Do the Bird" (#10).[1] Both "Mashed Potato Time" and "Ride!" each sold over one million copies, and were awarded gold discs.[7] "Do the Bird" provided her only entry in the UK Singles Chart, where it peaked at #46 in April 1963.[8]
From 1962 to 1981 she appeared several times on American Bandstand, the ABC Television Network music-performance and dance series hosted by Dick Clark. She was also a regular feature on Clark's Caravan of Stars tours.[3][1] In 1965 Sharp performed the jazz song "Steady, Steady" on the Ed Sullivan show. Unhappy with record sales, she switched to Atco/Atlantic Records in 1966.
In 1992, Sharp's 1962 hit "Gravy (For My Mashed Potatoes)" was featured in a scene in the American movie comedy Sister Act which starred Whoopi Goldberg. It was also included as part of the film's soundtrack album. More recent appearances included a performance at Pontins in the UK for the Northern Soul Show, and at the 2008 Detroit Jazz Festival. In May 2009, she appeared in Belgium at the Salle De L'Hotel de Ville.[citation needed]
Personal life
In a documentary film, Muhammad Ali: The Whole Story (1996), Sharp revealed that she was engaged to boxer Muhammad Ali in 1964.[10] After defeating Sonny Liston for the heavyweight title in Miami, Ali proposed to her, but he insisted on consulting Malcolm X before making any final plans.[11] Sharp was allegedly told by Malcolm X that they could only get married if she agreed to become a black Muslim.[11] Sharp's mother called off the engagement when she learned of the conversion requirement.[11]
Sharp was married to Kenny Gamble from 1967 to 1980, during which time she was known as Dee Dee Sharp Gamble.
On November 9, 2013, the prestigious Sandy Hosey Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed upon Sharp by the Artists Music Guild. Sharp thought she was in attendance to bestow the honor upon her longtime friend, Chubby Checker when she was surprised with her own honors. The Sandy Hosey Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to five artists every year by the Guild.[13]
Discography
Dee Dee Sharp has released 9 studio albums and 14 compilation albums.
^Staff. "For Dee Dee Sharp, a good life moves on", The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 24, 2008. Accessed October 24, 2011. "Over the next 20 years, that spotlight would shine on a career that took her around the world and finally back to Medford, NJ, where she spends most of her time keeping house for her husband, attorney Bill Witherspoon."
