Sharon Jones adds to the List of Greats We Lost in 2016

Well, 2016 continues to kick our asses. This has been a tough, tough year, and it was made even worse by the fact that the great Sharon Jones passed away on Friday. I mean, I have written RIP pieces to Phife Dawg, Daryl Dawkins, Moses Malone, David Bowie, the list goes on and on and on, and now I have to write about Sharon Jones.

This is a very sad thing that has happened. Sharon Jones was one of the greatest soul singers to ever walk the Earth. Her voice was booming, boisterous, incredibly soulful, soothing, silky, smooth, basically, she was everything that you could want from a singer. She hit all the notes that anyone ever asked her to hit. She was an all timer.

I became a fan of Sharon Jones about 6 years ago, when I really dug deep into soul music. I was going through a big Stax Records, James Brown and, basically any soul and R&B music I could get my hands on phase. I immediately fell in love with the sound of the music. Then, as I was listening to Carla Thomas, Rufus' daughter, my dad told me to check out Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. I think he thought I'd be heavily into the band, which I was, but it was Jones' voice that shook me to my core. She was like the follow up to Etta James or Billie Holiday. She was actually like a great mixture of the two of them. The Dap Kings were also phenomenal. They were a great backing band for one of the most memorable soul singers ever.

Next, I dug very deep into her catalog, and I loved every single thing I heard. I loved the more upbeat songs, but I also truly loved the sad songs. I also really liked the stuff in between. Basically, she could do no wrong in my opinion. Like I stated, her voice was one of a kind. She had such a beautiful voice that suited her style of music perfectly. She could do it all in the world of soul music. She was exceptional.

As I really got into her stuff even more, I found out that she had pancreatic cancer. I felt like I got punched in the gut. I was just really getting into this wonderful singer, who was still relatively young, and could make so much more music, but she was given a death sentence. Pancreatic cancer is no joke. But, instead of letting it effect her, she still went out, made music and performed live. She was going to live what little life she had left to the fullest. She would constantly say on stage, "I have cancer, cancer doesn't have me!". I love that. She was not going to let this horrible diagnosis stop her from being herself. She went out and shaved her head before treatments started, and wore the bald look so proudly. The first time I saw a photo of her, I cried tears of joy/sadness. She was dying, which made me sad, but she wasn't giving up, which gave me joy.

Sharon Jones was one of a kind. As I said, she still performed live all the way to the end. And she rocked it. There is a documentary about her called Miss Sharon Jones!.  I have only seen clips from it, and she is just as energetic in her final shows as she was when she first started. Believe me, I will be seeing this movie very soon.

She was a light in the dark world we now live in. There is another clip that has surfaced since she passed, that has Prince, also RIP, surprise her on stage, at a show, and he played some great songs with her, and she was so happy, plus shocked, by what was going on. Two legends recently sharing the stage, that we have now lost. It is a very sad thing. Since Friday, I have not stopped listening to her music in my car. It makes me happy to hear her voice, but very sad to know that we will never hear new music from her again. I read that she was surrounded by loved ones, including the Dap Kings, when she passed on Friday. All the way to the end, she kept loved ones, including her band, around to keep her spirits up.

These great people need to quit dying. 2016 needs to stop taking away legends that we need now more than ever. It has been a pretty crummy year if you think about it. And now, add on the fact that Sharon Jones is gone.

Rest in Peace Mrs. Jones, you were a bright shining light, and you will be missed by so, so many people. I love your music, but I also loved your joy for life and everything else. You were truly one of the best all around people to ever live. I hope you and Prince are playing music together wherever the two of you are now. I miss you both so much.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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