| Dee Dee Sharp | |
| Birth Name: | Dione LaRue |
| Birth Date: | 1945 9, mf=yes |
| Birth Place: | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Genre: | R&B, soul |
| Occupation: | Singer |
| Years Active: | 1961–present |
Dee Dee Sharp (born Dione LaRue; September 9, 1945, in Philadelphia)[1] is an American R&B singer, who began her career recording as a backing vocalist in 1961.
Although Sharp had been playing the piano from an early age and directed church choirs for her grandfather's and other congregations in her hometown of Philadelphia, Sharp's career truly began in 1958. 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.[2] [3] This was only possible because of her grandmother's blessing, given only after Sharp promised to keep up with her schooling.[4] 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.
In 1962, she was signed by Cameo/Parkway and was re-christened Dee Dee Sharp by producers Kal Mann and Bernie Lowe. At the time, her brother called her "Dee" and since she sang in "D sharp" she was given this new identity. She produced a string of successful Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits: "Slow Twistin'" (with Chubby Checker) (#3) for which she was uncredited on the label, "Mashed Potato Time" (#2), "Gravy (For My Mashed Potatoes)" (#9), "Ride!" (#5) and "Do the Bird" (#10). Both "Mashed Potato Time" and "Ride!" each sold over one million copies, and were awarded gold discs.[5] "Do the Bird" provided her only entry in the UK Singles Chart, where it peaked at #46 in April 1963.[6]
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. 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 1967, she married record producer and Philadelphia International co-founder Kenny Gamble and later founded Gamble Records with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. Over time she would also work with TSOP and Philadelphia International.
After adjusting her name to Dee Dee Sharp-Gamble, she had a career resurgence during the disco era and hit the charts again with her version of 10 CC's "I'm Not In Love." She also joined Lou Rawls, Billy Paul, Teddy Pendergrass, The O'Jays and Archie Bell as a member of the Philadelphia International All Stars, who had a minor hit with "Let's Clean Up the Ghetto." In 1980 she spent four weeks at number one on the Hot Dance Club Play chart with "Breaking and Entering" / "Easy Money," from her album Dee Dee.
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.
In a documentary film, Muhammad Ali: The Whole Story, Sharp claimed that in 1964 she was engaged to Muhammad Ali shortly before he converted to the Muslim faith;[7] when she was told that she herself had to become a Muslim before she married Ali, her mother ended the engagement.
Sharp was married to Kenny Gamble from 1967 to 1980, during which time she was known as Dee Dee Sharp-Gamble.
Sharp and her husband Bill Witherspoon reside in Medford, New Jersey.[8]
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.[9]
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | ||||||||||||||
| 1962 | It's Mashed Potato Time | 44 | — | ||||||||||||
| Songs of Faith | — | — | |||||||||||||
| Down to Earth (with Chubby Checker) | 117 | — | |||||||||||||
| 1963 | Do the Bird | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Down Memory Lane | — | — | |||||||||||||
| Wild | — | — | |||||||||||||
| 1975 | Happy 'Bout the Whole Thing | — | 48 | ||||||||||||
| 1977 | What Color Is Love (as Dee Dee Sharp Gamble, in association with Kenneth Gamble) | — | — | ||||||||||||
| 1980 | Dee Dee | — | 59 | ||||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||||
| Year | Single (A-side, B-side) Both sides from same album except where indicated | Label and number | Chart positions | Album *Wyncote label compilations of various Cameo-Parkway artists | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [10] | US R&B | US Dance | CAN [11] [12] | UK [13] | |||||
| 1962 | "Mashed Potato Time" b/w "Set My Heart at Ease" (Non-album track) | Cameo 212 | 2 | 1 | — | 2 | — | It's Mashed Potato Time | |
| "Slow Twistin'" (Chubby Checker & Dee Dee Sharp) b/w "La Paloma Twist" (by Chubby Checker, non-album track) | Parkway 835 | 3 | 3 | — | 18[14] | — | |||
| "Gravy (For My Mashed Potatoes)" b/w "Baby Cakes" (Non-album track) | Cameo 219 | 9 | 11 | — | 12 | — | |||
| "Ride!" b/w "The Night" (Non-album track) | Cameo 230 | 5 | 7 | — | 15 | — | All the Hits by Dee Dee Sharp Volume II | ||
| 1963 | "Do the Bird" b/w "Lover Boy" (from Hullabaloo with the Stars*) | Cameo 244 | 10 | 8 | — | 32 | 46 | Do the Bird | |
| "Rock Me in the Cradle of Love" b/w "You'll Never Be Mine" (from Hullabaloo with the Stars*) | Cameo 260 | 43 | — | — | 36 | — | Biggest Hits | ||
| "Wild!" b/w "Why Doncha Ask Me?" (from Do the Bird) | Cameo 274 | 33 | 25 | — | 27 | — | All the Hits with All the Stars* | ||
| 1964 | "Where Did I Go Wrong" / | Cameo 296 | 82 | — | — | — | — | Shindig with the Stars* | |
| "Willyam, Willyam" | 97 | — | — | — | — | Hullabaloo with the Stars Vol. 2* | |||
| "Never Pick a Pretty Boy" b/w "He's No Ordinary Guy" (Non-album track) | Cameo 329 | — | — | — | — | — | Hits a Go-Go with the Stars* | ||
| "Deep Dark Secret" b/w "Good" | Cameo 335 | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album tracks | ||
| "To Know Him Is to Love Him" b/w "There Ain't Nothin' I Wouldn't Do for You" | Cameo 347 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1965 | "Let's Twine" b/w "(That's What) My Mama Said" | Cameo 357 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "I Really Love You" b/w "Standing in the Need of Love" | Cameo 375 | 78 | 37 | — | 28 | — | |||
| 1966 | "(It's Wonderful) The Love I Feel for You" b/w "Willyam, Willyam" | Fairmount 1004 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "It's a Funny Situation" b/w "There Ain't Nothin' I Wouldn't Do for You" | Cameo 382 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "My Best Friend's Man" b/w "Bye Bye Baby" | Atco 6445 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1967 | "What Am I Gonna Do" b/w "(Heart and Soul) Baby I Love You" | Atco 6502 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1968 | "We Got a Thing Going On" b/w "What 'Cha Gonna Do About It" Both tracks: Ben E. King & Dee Dee Sharp | Atco 6557 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "A Woman Will Do Wrong" b/w "You're Just a Fool in Love" | Atco 6576 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Help Me Find My Groove" b/w "This Love Won't Run Out" | Atco 6587 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "What Kind of Lady" b/w "You're Gonna Miss Me (When I'm Gone)" | Gamble 219 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1970 | "The Bottle or Me" b/w "You're Gonna Miss Me (When I'm Gone)" | Gamble 4005 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1971 | "Conquer the World" b/w "We Got a Thing Going On" Both sides: Dee Dee Sharp Gamble with Bunny Sigler | Philadelphia International 3512 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1974 | "Happy 'Bout the Whole Thing" b/w "Touch My Life" | TSOP 4776 | — | — | — | — | — | Happy 'Bout the Whole Thing | |
| 1975 | "Share My Love" | Album cut | — | — | 6 | — | — | ||
| 1976 | "I'm Not in Love" b/w "Make It Till Tomorrow" | TSOP 4778 | — | 62 | — | — | — | ||
| 1977 | "Nobody Could Take Your Place" b/w "Flashback" | Philadelphia International 3625 | — | — | — | — | — | What Color Is Love | |
| "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight" b/w "What Color Is Love" | Philadelphia International 3636 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1978 | "Just as Long as I Know You're Mine" b/w "I Believe in Love" | Philadelphia International 3638 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "I Wanna Be Your Woman" b/w "Trying to Get the Feeling Again" | Philadelphia International 3644 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1981 | "Easy Money" b/w "I Love You Anyway" | Philadelphia International 70058 | — | — | — | — | — | Dee Dee | |
| "Breaking and Entering" | Philadelphia International 02041 | — | — | 1 | — | — | |||
| "I Love You Anyway" | — | 79 | — | — | — | ||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | |||||||||
