7:31 pm
Sharon Jones Says Amy Winehouse Jacked Her Sound
What does a former Rikers Island correction officer and Amy Winehouse have in common? If you have Sharon Jones tell it - a whole lot.
Sharon Jones says everything that’s defined Amy Winehouse’s new and fresh sound, she’s been part of for years.
“They jumped on us!” Ms. Jones exclaimed in a NY times interview.
For the past 10 years, Sharon Jones has been making music on the independent scene; music very familiar to the Waxpoetic types. Her name can even be found on 45’s - as in vinyl records, the tiny ones. Which is appropriate, because although the music was recorded in this decade, the songs sound as if they’re straight from the late 60’s.
The church singing youngster that she was, early on, Sharon Jones’ music career aspirations didn’t pan out, but the passion for music remained. While working on Rikers Island as a corrections officer, during her off days you could find Jones singing at weddings, doing spotty session studio work, and hitting backup vocals. It was during one of those studio sessions in 1996 that she ran into Gabriel Roth, a bass player for the Dap-Kings.
The Dap-Kings were a Brooklyn based instrumental band that were doing some serious funk reviving of their own. Gabriel Roth also happened to be the owner of Daptone Records.
He signed her to the label and the Dap-Kings became her backing band.
In 2002 Sharon Jones’ first album was released, “Dap-Dippin’ With…”
She followed it up in 2005 with “Naturally”
The buzz was out. Mark Ronson was doing production for Amy Winehouse’s “Back to Black” album. Mark Ronson was trying to create an old school sound using keyboards and drum machines, when he heard what the Dap-Kings were doing with Sharon Jones he was blown away. He hired them to work on Amy Winehouse’s “Back to Black” and a sound was born..
“We were using every computer trick in the book to make it sound old,” Ronson said. “But it was just so ridiculous.” He said that on the first day the Dap-Kings joined him and Ms. Winehouse in the studio, “it just sounded a million times better.”
A miilion times better for Amy Winehouse; a bigger profile and cash for the Dap-Kings; Sharon Jones, she’s getting more recognition and work too. Sharon Jones will appear as a juke joint singer in Denzel Washington’s upcoming movie “The Great Debaters” and her new album hit stores yesterday.
She’s still not sure how to feel about Amy Winehouse and crew.
“Even what’s his name [Mark] Ronson.. They came to us to get the sound they wanted behind their music. We were just sitting here minding our own business, doing our little 45s and albums, and all of a sudden they were like, ‘I want your sound.’
First, I feel kind of angry about it,” Jones said, but then added, “Well, if it took Amy to get the Dap-Kings heard, then it’s a good thing. I say it’s great. Thank you.”
Here’s a few songs from Sharon Jones “100 Days 100 Nights” versus Amy Winehouse “Back to Black.”
Even though they are using the same band, I think Amy Winehouse benefited from bigger production and the fact she can sing makes the ‘jack move’ work.
Make your own determination.
☼ What's Your Opinion? ☼
jennifer- Wed, Oct 03, 2007 - 11:52 pmI don’t think amy jacked this women’s sound! It’s bull! amy probably never heard of this women! Amy said in a interview she dose’nt know much new artists she only listens to old music! Maybe it’s just the WAY THE DAP KINGS SOUND!... gosh why are people stupid.
JaneJane- Thu, Oct 04, 2007 - 12:06 amSad Sharon. So bitter. If she wants to be hostile to anyone it should be her dear Dap Kings, not Ronson or Amy. The DK are the ones who sold their sound [which by the way is -their- sound to do with whatever they wish and not Sharon Jones’ sound]. Ms. Jones has talent, but it’s the same flavor of talent that thousands of black women singers have all over the U.S.—stop in any random club in any random city in the U.S. and you’ll find very similar women just like Sharon Jones. And to refer to Ronson as “what’s his name [Mark] Ronson..” is just plain unprofessional.
for real- Thu, Oct 04, 2007 - 12:40 amtotal rip off. amy and ronson ripped her and the dap kings off and the dap kings let it happen. glad to see someone exposed the real influence. sad when new artists can’t give the o.g.s their due. shame, shame, shame.
el negro- Thu, Oct 04, 2007 - 6:29 amSharon has been doing her thing since FOREVER and if you pick up a copy of her album, Naturally (hell, just listen to the iTunes previews) you can hear remarkable similarities between hers and Amy’s stuff because of the DapKings. But Sharon was definitely first. I guess Ronson knew he could capitalize on her sound with the band, which he did. But Sharon’s record is a must have because you will feel like you’ve just been put in a time machine, and the shit sounds authentic. Crazy thing is that all of this mess is like back in day when a black artist would record something, then the shady white record producer would give it to the white artists to cover and then you’d see them on the album with tight ass suits on, chilling on the beach (like in the 5 Heartbeats). Amy gets her props but her newer shit is LIGHT YEARS away from her old stuff and the DapKings (and Sharon) are why.
Jah- Thu, Oct 04, 2007 - 9:40 amStranger things have happened.
I will check out Sharon in Denzel’s movie.
mercedes- Thu, Oct 04, 2007 - 10:17 amsharon mentions amy and the dap kings every chance she gets. she using amy to get ahead .. so i guess they’re even now!
Varla- Thu, Oct 04, 2007 - 10:52 amTo Jane Jane
Amy Winehouse sounds like “the same flavor of talent that thousands of black women singers have all over the U.S.” as well. What makes her better? Because she’s not black?
And Russ a better comparison would actually be Amy Winehouse and Dinah Washington. billie holiday’s vocal styling is much more internal and intricate.
I love Amy Winehouse but you white folks need to quit!
amy whiskeyhouse- Thu, Oct 04, 2007 - 6:27 pmsounds like ms. jones didn’t develop the Dap Kings as much as her label did. ms. winehouse is taking a lot of credit for a sound she imitates, rather than originates, but hey, that’s show business.
JaneJane- Fri, Oct 05, 2007 - 12:22 amTo Varla: How in internet hell can you assume that I’m white? That’s hilarious. Look, the person with the problem here is Sharon Jones. If you’ve heard Amy’s demo’s for Black To Black, which were made long before the Dap Kings entered the picture, it’s clear that she already had a sound that reinvented the girl groups of the 60’s. She’s the first to admit that. Sharon Jones ripped off James Brown and that’s a fact. No large deal. Everyone borrows from everyone.
Peter Verkooijen- Sun, Oct 07, 2007 - 12:34 amThe Dap Kings jacked Stax, Hi, Motown, etc. Amy Winehouse is a star NOT because she “sounds black”, which is BS anyway, but because her voice has character and she’s a brilliant, original songwriter. Sharon Jones is karaoke singer.
Sarox- Sun, Oct 07, 2007 - 2:28 amA new low for Sharon Jones. Get over it, woman! Winehouse has better voice, and an amazing songwriter! While your sounds might be similar, your voice is nothing we haven’t heard before.
Damon- Mon, Oct 08, 2007 - 4:29 amNo one really “owns” that sound anyway! Both of their stuff is taken right out of the late 50’s and 60’s soul sound. It’s an uncopyright genre! And yea…I like Amy much better. She has a vey special ‘something’ that I can’t quite define.
Weazel- Mon, Oct 08, 2007 - 9:52 amHey I’d sell out for some quick cash to Winehouse, she’ll be dead soon anyway. I suppose it’s a hard decision when you have to pick loyalty over rent.
Weazel- Mon, Oct 08, 2007 - 11:02 am...I mean rent over loyalty… duhh…
JoeDBX- Tue, Oct 09, 2007 - 8:51 pmDamon is right on here. The sound is not Sharon’s. She’s just ripping off other sounds and taking credit. One generation takes from the previous. That’s how it goes. Sharon thinks she’s original because she went back 4+ decades. She’s a hater.
Go str8 2 the source....- Sat, Oct 13, 2007 - 12:54 pmand you will find that Sharon has a valid point. As an artist, you find that the history of soul music AND rock is always going to have a complexion connection to reach the masses. Motown had to put pictures of whites on their albums to SELL whatever hit they had going on early on. Don’t confuse the truth with the cash! PS - And I love both of them!
notyou- Sun, Nov 04, 2007 - 2:43 amDamn folks, can’t you read? Sharon *thanked* Amy. Yeah, there was some bitterness, but I think she realizes it only means more success for her and the Dap Kings.
Oh, and here’s something: If you buy tickets to a Sharon Jones show, you can be assured she will play it, unlike say, an Amy Winehouse show. *Oh, snap!*
CHIEF 00- Sun, Nov 04, 2007 - 2:47 amNOTYOU, I HEAR YOU.
Truthinsound- Mon, Jan 07, 2008 - 3:06 pmGabe Roth didn’t just arrange these peices for Winehouse. That is the “similarity” everyone HEARS…Gabe Roth. I think Gabe also wrote for Winehouse. I suspect there is more to the truth than is evident to non-writer/arrangers. Amy’s material is too sophisticated for her age and level of experience. Her first album was cliche’d RnB with drum machines…These two don’t just have the same band, same arranger,...I suspect more…something that would have people returning Grammy’s in violation of rules associated with the Grammy nominations. Oh, boy. Something is wrong here…and its gone over people’s heads. It’s not because the “house band” is the same…and the arranger. That happens.
The problem is the question of who wrote Amy Winehouse’s material….who really wrote that sophisticated “genre fusion” and what really happened here….
Burning question folks.
Truthinsound- Mon, Jan 07, 2008 - 3:12 pmPerhaps, it was Gabe’s guidance and teaching…but the writing is too sophisticated for the vocalist, in short….the fundamental choice of notes, of melodic phrasing and the lyrical influences: what is copyrightable as a “song”. Not arranging, but the basic songs themselves. That is the burning question on my mind for the past two months as a writer/arranger myself. It’s a fair question.
RealDeal- Sun, May 04, 2008 - 6:39 pmSharon and Amy are friends - there’s no bitterness there! Of course Ronson and Amy jumped on SJ&theDK;‘s - why wouldn’t they? Gabe’s a total genius. Fact.
Why is everyone always looking for an angle??!
Kev- Mon, Jun 09, 2008 - 3:16 amSharon Jones! SOOOOO much better than Amy Winehouse!
Ruby- Mon, Jan 04, 2010 - 1:35 pmGood music is good music. Backing bands work for all kinds of artists, and while Sharon and Amy certainly are working within the same genre, (Sharon having perhaps been there first), they don’t have THE SAME sound… Amy’s got a thing all of her own. Get over it people. Enjoy the music for what it is. Although I heard Amy first, I will no doubt delve deeper into other records the Dap Kings have recorded.
No comparison. One sounds OK but ordinary, the other sounds extraordinary. A better comparison (not just lifestyle but subtlety of vocal styling) would be Amy to Billie Holiday.