Sugar Pie Desanto was a tiny woman with a big talent. She could sing, she could write and, man, could she perform! Her performance was energetic, charismatic and acrobatic. Born as Umpeylia Marsema Balinton in Brooklyn in 1935, her family moved to the Fillmore area in San Francisco in the late thirties. This would turn out a pretty good move. The rhythm and blues that was played in the clubs of late fifties and early sixties San Francisco shaped Sugar Pie.
In the following years she was lucky to be in very talented company. She formed a group, The Creolettes, with Etta James. That was rechristened Etta James & The Peaches by Johnny Otis. Later she went on to perform on her own gaining a lot of experience as the opening act for the James Brown revue all over America. Along the way she was picked up by the Chess Brothers who released her songs on Chess and Checker records.
Soulful Dress is a great song to play at an insane volume as you are preparing to go out on a Saturday night. At one point Sugar Pie hollers: “If you wanna keep your man, you better get as sharp as you can...” and you know she means it. So ladies, look out and watch your fellow for Sugar Pie is out to steal your man!
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