June is Black Music, and we are celebrating by highlighting the artists, musicians, songs, and moments of special meaning to Chris with a capsule collection commemoration.
Born Umpeylia Balinton in Brooklyn, New York to a Black mother and Filipino father in 1935, Sugar Pie DeSanto moved to San Francisco’s Fillmore District as a child. She was childhood friends with Etta James, who became a lifelong friend and collaborator.
In the 1950s, DeSanto began sneaking out to perform as a young teenager. Johnny Otis, a producer known as “the godfather of rhythm and blues,” discovered her when she performed at a talent show at 19 years old.
DeSanto, who performed well into her 80s, made her first hit in 1959 with "I Want to Know," a piano-driven, danceable kiss-off to a former lover that showed off her powerful, raspy voice. Following that initial success, James Brown invited her to open for him on tour, where she rivaled the Godfather of Soul in stage presence and theatrics, earning her the nickname "the Lady James Brown."
After touring with James Brown in 1960 and 1961, DeSanto made her way to Chicago to work with Chess Records. Her bluesy, seductive single “Slip-In Mules” hit No. 10 on Billboard in 1964; that same year, she traveled to London to perform at the American Folk Blues Festival. The performance earned her a following overseas: In 1966, the Thanet Times and East Kent Pictorial, a British newspaper, called her “America’s top female blues singer.”
Listen to Sugar Pie Desanto wherever you stream music. Enjoy.
- 5 oz. 100% USA premium cotton preshrunk jersey
- Taped neck and shoulders
- Double-needle sleeve and bottom hem
Care: Machine wash cold inside out on permanent press cycle and tumble dry low/no heat or hang dry.
Size Chart:
Small - 38 chest
Medium - 40 chest
Large - 42 chest
XLarge - 44 chest
XXLarge - 46 chest
