Sugar Pie De Santo
Well, I decided to post one of
my favorite artists. Sugar Pie De Santo was born Umpeylia Marsema Balinton,
October 16, 1935, Brooklyn, New York. Sugar Pie De Santo is a 4' 11"
Rhythm and Blues Singer of African American and Philipino descent. Her Mother
was a concert pianist. She spent most of her early life in San Francisco, where
she moved with her family at a young age.
In 1955, De Santo did some touring with The Johnny Otis
Revue. Otis age named her
Sugar Pie De Santo. From 1959 to 1960, she toured with The James Brown Revue.
In
1960, De Santo rose to national prominence when her Single "I Want to
Know" reached number four on Billboards R & B chart.
She recorded the
song with her husband Pee Wee Kingsley. Soon thereafter her marriage to
Kingsley fell apart, and De Santo moved to Chicago and signed with Chess
Records in 1962 as a recording artist and writer. Among her recordings at Chess
were "Slip-in Mules"
In 1964 Sugar Pie De Santo Recorded "Can't Let You Go"
De Santo participated in the American Folk Blues Festival tour of Europe in 1964, and her lively performances, including wild dancing and standing back flips, were widely appreciated.
"Use What You Got"
"Soulful
Dress" (her biggest hit at Chess)
"I Don't Wanna Fuss"
De Santo participated in the American Folk Blues Festival tour of Europe in 1964, and her lively performances, including wild dancing and standing back flips, were widely appreciated.
In
1965 De Santo began a writing collaboration with Shena DeMell. They produced
the song "Do I Make Myself Clear"; an excellent duet with her cousin
Etta James reached the top 10.
It was followed up by another 1966 duet from the cousins, "In the Basement".
De Santo's next song, "Go Go
Power", did not chart, and De Santo and Chess parted ways.
It was followed up by another 1966 duet from the cousins, "In the Basement".
Sugar Pie De Santo kept on writing songs and recorded for a few more labels. In 1968 she released " The One Who Really Loves You"on the Brunswick Label.
she eventually moved back to the Bay Area, settling in Oakland.
Though
it had often been said that her stage performances far surpassed her studio
recordings, a full-length live recording, Classic Sugar Pie, was not released until 1997.
De Santo was given a Bay Area
Music Award in 1999 for best female blues singer. In September 2008, she was
given a Pioneer Award by the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. De Santo received a
lifetime achievement award from the Goldie Awards in November 2009.
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