Sharon Jones Talks Cancer & Shares Stories In Interview On WNYC Soundcheck [Audio]

Sharon-Jones-and-the-Dap-Kings-Lowdown-Hudson-Blues-Festival-nyc-2014 — Photo courtesy of Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings Facebook

Soul singer Sharon Jones gave a recent interview with WNYC Soundcheck host John Schaefer where she discussed about going back on tour with her band, the Dap-Kings, and her recent triumphant recovery from cancer. You can listen to the audio above.

Interview highlights include Sharon discussing her preparation of returning to the road and the nervousness she felt getting ready for her February 6th concert at NYC's Beacon Theater. She confesses how she was afraid she'd never perform again after her operation from pancreatic cancer and goes in depth about her chemo recovery. Sharon admitted:

I was really scared because laying around for those months and not having energy... where I was cut, straight across the diaphragm, it was just like as a singer I couldn't [breathe]. Actually from June to September I was bent over, I couldn't straighten up from the cut. I didn't even think about singing.

She provides insight that her recovery was being documented by Cabin Creek Films for a VH1 episode that will hopefully be aired this coming winter, or early next year. Sharon talked about the video "Stranger To My Happiness" and the difficulties she faced while making it. You can watch the official video here on Zumic.

Towards the end of the interview, she goes back in time to tell stories about the summer of 1994 and her time working in corrections. For the song, "Damn It's Hot," she remembers meeting the Dap-Kings in a tiny studio with a raggedy air conditioner. She asked the members if it had a title yet, and when they admitted they didn't, she yelled, "but damn it's hot!"

Sharon saves the best for last as she shares a story involving Lou Reed. It's a wonderful interview that sheds light on the struggles that Sharon Jones had to endure, both on a personal and professional musician level.

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings latest release, Give The People What They Want, is available on Daptone Records and Amazon. You can listen to the album here on Zumic as well.

Below is a live performance Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings gave in the green space for Soundcheck on the day that the band released their fourth album I Learned the Hard Way.