Sugar Pie DeSanto

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Sugar Pie DeSanto in a 2006 performance

Sugar Pie DeSanto (* 16th October 1935 in Brooklyn , New York City as Umpeylia Marsema Balinton ) is an American R & B singer, dancer, entertainer and composer, who had in the 1950s and 1960s their greatest successes.

biography

The daughter of an African American and a Filipino grew up in San Francisco , where she and her family moved as a child.

In 1955 Johnny Otis hired the young singer, whom he had seen in a talent competition, for his revue . It was he who gave Sugar Pie DeSanto its stage name. In the same year she made her first recording.

In the late 1950s she performed in major R&B theaters in the United States , including the Apollo in New York, the Regal in Chicago and the Howard in Washington, DC in 1959 and 1960, touring with James Brown .

In 1960 she had a hit with I Want to Know that made it to number 4 on the US R&B charts . Further successful publications followed, among others together with Etta James , but above all she was considered an outstanding stage artist. In 1997, Classic Sugar Pie was the first one of her appearances to appear completely live.

In 1964 she was the only female participant in the American Folk Blues Festival , along with blues greats like Willie Dixon , Sleepy John Estes , Lightnin 'Hopkins and Sonny Boy Williamson II.

Sugar Pie DeSanto has written numerous songs, many of which have been recorded by other artists, including Fontella Bass , Little Milton and The Whispers .

In 1996 Sugar Pie DeSanto received a Bay Area Music Award for best blues singer. In 2008 she received the Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation .

Discography (selection)

Singles

  • "I Want to Know" (with the Pee Wee Kingsley Band) (1960) # 4 US R&B
  • "Slip-In Mules (No High Heel Sneakers)" (1964) # 48 US Pop
  • "Soulful Dress" (1964)
  • "Use What You Got" (1964)
  • "Do I Make Myself Clear" (with Etta James) (1965) # 96 US Pop
  • "In the Basement - Part 1" (with Etta James) (1966) # 37 US R&B, # 97 US Pop

Albums

  • "Sugar Pie" (1961)
  • "Hello, San Francisco" (1984)
  • "Down In The Basement" (1989)
  • "Sugar Is Salty" (1993)
  • "Classic Sugar Pie" (1997)
  • "A Slice Of Pie" (1999)
  • "Refined Sugar" (2005)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME DeSanto, Sugar Pie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Balinton, Umpeylia Marsema (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American R&B singer, dancer, entertainer and composer
DATE OF BIRTH October 16, 1935
PLACE OF BIRTH Brooklyn , New York City