Page 71 - Blues Festival Guide Magazine 2016

When Sugar Pie was honored at the 2008 Rhythm & Blues
Foundation’s Pioneer awards, the great Bonnie Raitt presented
her the award. An added bonus was Sugar’s performance at
the event. She did a kick-ass version of her first hit record,
“I Want To Know,” including her signature back flip. In the
audience was Aretha Franklin who, being moved by the
spirit of Sugar Pie’s performance, subsequently invited her to
perform at two private parties – that’s how much respect the
Queen of Soul had for the Queen of the West Coast Blues.
Despite Sugar Pie’s talent and regard, the Chess brothers
shelved much of her output, where it remained dormant until
2009 when Kent Records of England released Go Go Power,
The Complete Chess Singles of Sugar Pie DeSanto 1961-
1966. Wondrously, the disc debuted at #15 on the Billboard Ensemble of the American Folk Blues Festival in the early 1960s – (l to r) Howlin’ Wolf,
Blues chart. It has garnered her legions of new fans who shout Willie Dixon, Sleepy John Estes, Sonny Boy Williamson II, Sunnyland Slim, Sugar Pie
“hallelujah!” and rave about her prowess – even though it has DeSanto, Lightnin’ Hopkins and Hubert Sumlin
been 43 years since Queen Sugar charted!
Sugar Pie’s international stock also continues to climb. In The work of Broadcast Music Journalist T. Watts has appeared
September 2013, she traveled to Norway for The Hell Blues in Players Magazine, Blues Revue Magazine, Blues Blast
Festival. A Chicago Blues Band assembled by the great Willie Magazine, Glide Magazine and several other publications. He
Henderson joined Sugar Pie on the bandstand for two gigs ghostwrote the biography, Blood Is Thicker Than The Mud; Little
on successive nights. On the first night, Sugar Pie received Sister From The Inside Out for Vet Stone, youngest sister of Sly
the 2013 Ambassador of Hell Blues Award. In July 2015, Stone. He is West Coast Correspondent for www.soul-patrol.com.
Sugar Pie was a headliner at the Porretta Soul Festival in Italy
for the third time. Graziano Uliani, prognosticator of Deep Current projects include co-writing the memoirs of Chambers
Soul and founder of the Porretta Soul Festival, held annually Brothers frontman, Lester Chambers, and producing two weekly
in Porretta, Italy, offers this sentiment: “She continues to wow radio shows, Redemption Songs and The CyberSoulMan
our audiences. Her live performances exceed her recent Review at KPFZ 88.1 in Lakeport, CA. He has also been on
recordings despite the excellent production values of Jim the road with Sugar Pie DeSanto several times as her road
Moore. Sugar Pie onstage is unrivaled. Give her a stage and manager.
she will transform it.”
Though she is often classified as a blues singer while
sporting the moniker “Queen of the West Coast Blues,”
Sugar Pie DeSanto is a multifaceted entertainer. She has
written over a hundred songs for artists including Etta James,
Fontella Bass, Bobby McClure, Minnie Ripperton, The Dells,
The Whispers, Little Milton and Billy Stewart. Her repertoire
includes standards, soul and jazz. She plays piano and does
many of her own arrangements for background vocals. Her
sense of comedic timing is unparalleled. And of course, her
stage presence and performance convert new believers each
time she graces the stage.

Released in 2009, Go Go Power, The
Complete Chess Singles of Sugar Pie
DeSanto 1961-1966, debuted at #15 Sugar Pie DeSanto is famous for interacting with her audience
on the Billboard Blues chart Photo by Ÿ Joseph A. Rosen

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