Biography
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Born
16 October 1935 (age 88)
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Born In
San Francisco, California, United States
Sugar Pie DeSanto is the name of a popular rhythm and blues songstress of the 1950's and 1960's. She was born Umpeylia Marsema Balinton in Brooklyn, New York on October 16, 1935 to an African American mom and a Filipino dad. She spent most of her early life in San Francisco, California, where she moved with her family at a young age.
In 1955, DeSanto did some touring with The Johnny Otis Revue after being given the nickname Sugar Pie by the bandleader. In 1960, DeSanto rose to national prominence when her single, "I Want to Know," rose to number four on Billboard's Hot R&B Sides chart. DeSanto continued to write & release popular songs throughout the 1960's, including some collaborations with Etta James.
From 1959-1960, she toured with The James Brown Revue, where she was known to perform backflips on stage. DeSanto is proud to say, despite numerous proposistions, she stayed professional, and claims to be the only woman in his revue who never slept with the lascivious Brown, nor any of the other "old goats" like Willie Dixon, and Muddy Waters she met on the met on the blues touring circuit while supporting her Chess recordings. Sugar Pie went along on the 1964 Folk-Blues Fest tour of Europe, but as the only female artist, and basically an opening act… She also let the other musicians on that run she wasn't part of the backstage buffet, telling the SF Bay Guardian in 2004 "I refused all them old goats,"
She cut 30 sides for Chess records, most of which were shelved and never hit the streets. Occasional Sugar Pie tracks did surface, but mostly her career was a footnote in at a label. While Sugar Pie got a $10,000 advance from the stingy Chicago honchos that ran the label when she signed on, they stiffed her on royalties for decades, even though she wrote many songs for other artists including Fontella Bass, Etta James, Little Milton and Minnie Ripperton. She recorded for other labels besides Chess including Brunswick in 1967.
By the early seventies she'd settled back into the San Francisco Bay Area for good, and over the next 35 some years has made some sporadic funky & bluesy efforts for her manager/husband's Jasman Records.
Despite hitting octogenarian status, she still performs gigs including the ceremony for receiving her 2008 R&B Foundation Pioneer Award at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, the June 2008 Chicago Blues Festival, and 2007 San Francisco Blues Festival with Jimmy McCracklin, and remains a highly energetic and comedic performer.
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