Miss Sharon Jones!Your new documentary Miss Sharon Jones is a candid look at your current struggle with cancer, but it also traces your entire career. When did you decide to tell your life story in this way?thingYou mentioned how you looked at the film as a form of therapy and, in the film, you never shy away from talking about your fears and struggles. Were there certain parts of your day or aspects of your life you asked Barbara to keep off limits?Miss Sharon Jones is also the story of Daptone and The Dap-Kings, who discovered you when you were in your 40s and helped introduce you to a new, younger audience. What was your first connection to their world?doinBig Daddy
One of the things about the film that I think is so inspiring is that it shows that you had a whole life before you found fame in your 40s and became the “Queen of the New York City Funk Scene” and the international funk scene. You mention in the film how there were a lot of naysayers in the ‘80s when you were first trying to make a go at being a professional musician. Have you crossed paths with any of those naysayers since you’ve found fame?You received fame at the height of the indie-rock boom, without a hit single or traditional, old-school mediums of success. Was there a moment when you felt your music breakthrough?Your music is so authentic and it’s so personal and so spiritual, and vinyl is the best way to preserve that authenticity and that honesty, so it makes sense that is the medium most closely associated with your music and label. One of the first scenes that embraced your music and the Daptone world in general is the jamband scene. Is there a particular show or festival you played that helped you cross over into this new audience?Miss Sharon Jones is the most in-depth look into your career and has started to bring you to an entirely new audience: the film world and also a segment of arts patrons who don’t seek out live music on a regular basis. Knowing you had this different medium to explore, were there any specific messages you hoped to get out?I know you’re on the road now this summer with Hall and Oates, how are you feeling now?You mentioned that seeing that video reminded you of your struggle and inspired you to get back to see your fans. Has seeing the documentary inspired you in a similar way?
Are you working on any new material that maybe talks about your struggle, or are you letting the movie feel that void in that sense?Bringing things full circle, you are from the same town, Augusta, SC, as James Brown. How do you feel your upbringing shapes your music?
