Dee Dee Sharp

Dee Dee Sharp was born Dione LaRue in Philadelphia on September 9, 1945. She began playing the piano from an early age and directed church choirs for her grandfather's church and other congregations in her hometown. She grew up in North Philadelphia and graduated from Overbrook High School.

Career as a session vocalist

When she was 13, her mother was seriously injured in a car accident. After overhearing her grandparents discuss the severity of her mother's injuries, Sharp decided to find work to help support her family. With her grandmother's approval, on the condition that she continue her education, she answered a newspaper advertisement seeking a singer who could sight-read music, play piano, and sing. Sharp was hired by gospel singer Willa Ward Moultrie, who employed her as a backing vocalist. Soon, Sharp began recording with artists including Lloyd Price, Bobby Rydell, Frankie Avalon, and Jackie Wilson while continuing to attend school.

Rise to fame and mainstream success

By 1962, singer Chubby Checker had become Parkway Records' biggest star, having charted nearly twenty singles in his first two and a half years with the label, and popularizing the twist dance craze. According to Sharp, Checker discovered her while she was providing backing vocals during one of his recording sessions and recommended her to Bernie Lowe, head of Cameo-Parkway Records. Seeking to extend the success of his dance-oriented recordings, Sharp was paired with Checker o a recording. The result was a duet, although Sharp was not credited on the original single release. Released in February 1962, "Slow Twistin'" entered the Top 10 within three weeks.

She was immediately signed by Cameo Records as a solo artist Mann and Lowe renamed her Dee Dee Sharp, a nickname derived from her brother's habit of calling her "Dee" and because she sang in the key of D-sharp. The same say that she recorded "Slow Twistin'," she also recorded her debut solo single, "Mashed Potato Time," which was released in February 1962. The song reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, sold more than one million copies, and earned a gold disc. At the age of 16, this success made Sharp one of the first Black female teen idols. Sharp was offered "The Loco-Motion", a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, but declined to record it. The song was subsequently recorded by Little Eva and became a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1962.

In April 1962, Sharp accompanied Checker on the road as his opening act at the 1962 Seattle World's Fair.

Sharp followed her breakthrough with a string of Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits: "Gravy (For My Mashed Potatoes)" (No. 9), "Ride!" (No. 5), and "Do the Bird" (No. 10). "Ride!" also sold more than one million copies and received a gold disc. "Do the Bird" became her only entry on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at No. 46 in April 1963.

Cameo marketed Sharp as a pop artist, and as a result she made relatively few appearances on the Chitlin' Circuit. The label also sent her to modeling and charm school. 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, Sharp married Kenny Gamble of the songwriting and production duo Gamble & Huff. Sharp recorded for Gamble Records and Philadelphia International, and she worked with Gamble & Huff behind the scene at various iterations of TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia) Records.

Resurgence and later years

As 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.

Sharp has continued to perform into the 21st century. She appeared at Pontins in the United Kingdom as part of the Northern Soul Show, performed at the 2008 Detroit Jazz Festival, and appeared at the Salle de l'Hôtel de Ville in Belgium in May 2009. In 2017, she performed at Jerry Blavat's Gospel, Soul and Doo Wop Reunion in Philadelphia.

In a documentary film, Muhammad Ali: The Whole Story (1996), Sharp revealed that she was engaged to boxer Muhammad Ali, then known as Cassius Clay. They had met when Sharp had a residency at the Knight Beat nightclub in Overtown, Miami in 1963. According to Sharp, Ali proposed to her before his first heavyweight champion fight Sonny Liston in Miami Beach in 1964. Sharp accepted, but Ali said he first needed to consult Malcolm X before making final arrangements. Sharp recalled that Malcolm X told her they could marry only if she converted to the Nation of Islam. After learning of the conversion requirement, Sharp's mother refused to give her approval, ending 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.

In 2017, harp was inducted into the Philadelphia Music Alliance's Walk of Fame.

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.

Dee Dee Sharp has released 9 studio albums and 14 compilation albums.

Studio albums

Compilation albums

• 1963: 18 Golden Hits
• 1963: All the Hits
• 1963: Biggest Hits
• 1979: Cameo-Parkway Sessions
• 1993: All the Hits & More
• 1995: All the Golden Hits
• 1998: What Color Is Love / Dee Dee
• 2004: Chubby Checker, Bobby Rydell, Dee Dee Sharp, Bobby Rydell & Chubby Checker and Down to Earth
• 2005: Best of Dee Dee Sharp 1962-1966
• 2006: Sharp Goes Wild
• 2010: It's Mashed Potato Time / Do the Bird
• 2010: Happy 'Bout the Whole Thing + What Color Is Love + Dee Dee
• 2015: Hurry On Down, It's Mashed Potato Time
• 2020: The Queen of Rhythm & Blues

Singles