Dee Dee Sharp

Dione LaRue (born September 9, 1945), known professionally as Dee Dee Sharp, is an American R&B singer. She was one of the first Black female teenage pop stars to achieve mainstream national success in the early 1960s.

At the age of 16, Sharp achieved her breakthrough with the duet "Slow Twistin'" alongside Chubby Checker in 1962. Her debut single "Mashed Potato Time" (1962) reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and sold more than one million copies. She followed it with several additional top 10 hits, including "Gravy (For My Mashed Potatoes)" (1962), "Ride!" (1962), and "Do the Bird" (1963). A frequent performer on American Bandstand, Sharp also appeared on Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars tours. She later had dance hits with the songs "Share My Love" (1975) and "Breaking and Entering" (1981).

Early life and education Dee Dee Sharp was born Dione LaRue in Philadelphia on September 9, 1945. She began playing the piano from an early age and directed church choirs for her grandfather's church and other congregations in her hometown. She grew up in North Philadelphia and graduated from Overbrook High School.

Career

Career as a session vocalist When she was 13, her mother was seriously injured in a car accident. With her grandmother's approval—on the condition that she continue her education—she answered a newspaper advertisement seeking a singer who could sight-read music, play piano, and sing. According to Sharp, Checker discovered her while she was providing backing vocals during one of his recording sessions and recommended her to Bernie Lowe, head of Cameo-Parkway Records. The result was a duet, although Sharp was not credited on the original single release. The song reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, sold more than one million copies, and earned a gold disc. At the age of 16, this success made Sharp one of the first Black female teen idols. The song was subsequently recorded by Little Eva and became a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1962.

Sharp followed her breakthrough with a string of Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits: "Gravy (For My Mashed Potatoes)" (No. 9), "Ride!" (No. 5), and "Do the Bird" (No. 10).

Cameo marketed Sharp as a pop artist, and as a result she made relatively few appearances on the Chitlin' Circuit. Sharp recorded for Gamble Records and Philadelphia International, and she worked with Gamble & Huff behind the scene at various iterations of TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia) Records.

Personal life In a documentary film, Muhammad Ali: The Whole Story (1996), Sharp revealed that she was engaged to boxer Muhammad Ali—then known as Cassius Clay. They had met when Sharp had a residency at the Knight Beat nightclub in Overtown, Miami in 1963. According to Sharp, Ali proposed to her before his first heavyweight champion fight Sonny Liston in Miami Beach in 1964. Sharp accepted, but Ali said he first needed to consult Malcolm X before making final arrangements.

Legacy In 2017, harp was inducted into the Philadelphia Music Alliance's Walk of Fame.

In pop culture In 1992, Sharp's 1962 hit "Gravy (For My Mashed Potatoes)" was featured in a scene in the American movie comedy Sister Act which starred Whoopi Goldberg.

"Slow Twistin'" (Chubby Checker & Dee Dee Sharp)b/w "La Paloma Twist" (by Chubby Checker, non-album track)

"Mashed Potato Time"b/w "Set My Heart at Ease" (Non-album track)

"Gravy (For My Mashed Potatoes)"b/w "Baby Cakes" (Non-album track)

"Ride!"b/w "The Night" (Non-album track)

All the Hits by Dee Dee Sharp Volume II

"Do the Bird"b/w "Lover Boy" (from Hullabaloo with the Stars*)

Do the Bird "Rock Me in the Cradle of Love"b/w "You'll Never Be Mine" (from Hullabaloo with the Stars*)

Biggest Hits "Wild!"b/w "Why Doncha Ask Me?" (from Do the Bird)

All the Hits with All the Stars*

"Where Did I Go Wrong" /

Shindig with the Stars* "Willyam, Willyam"

Hullabaloo with the Stars Vol. 2* "Never Pick a Pretty Boy"b/w "He's No Ordinary Guy" (Non-album track)

Hits a Go-Go with the Stars* "Deep Dark Secret"b/w "Good"

"To Know Him Is to Love Him"b/w "There Ain't Nothin' I Wouldn't Do for You"

"Let's Twine"b/w "(That's What) My Mama Said"

"I Really Love You"b/w "Standing in the Need of Love"

"(It's Wonderful) The Love I Feel for You"b/w "Willyam, Willyam"

"It's a Funny Situation"b/w "There Ain't Nothin' I Wouldn't Do for You"

"My Best Friend's Man"b/w "Bye Bye Baby"

1967 "What Am I Gonna Do"b/w "(Heart and Soul) Baby I Love You"

"We Got a Thing Going On"b/w "What 'Cha Gonna Do About It"Both tracks: Ben E. King & Dee Dee Sharp

"A Woman Will Do Wrong"b/w "You're Just a Fool in Love"

"Help Me Find My Groove"b/w "This Love Won't Run Out"

"What Kind of Lady"b/w "You're Gonna Miss Me (When I'm Gone)"

1970 "The Bottle or Me"b/w "You're Gonna Miss Me (When I'm Gone)"

1971 "Conquer the World"b/w "We Got a Thing Going On"Both sides: Dee Dee Sharp Gamble with Bunny Sigler

1974 "Happy 'Bout the Whole Thing"b/w "Touch My Life"

1975 "Share My Love"

1976 "I'm Not in Love"b/w "Make It Till Tomorrow"

"Nobody Could Take Your Place"b/w "Flashback"

"I'd Really Love to See You Tonight"b/w "What Color Is Love"

"Just as Long as I Know You're Mine"b/w "I Believe in Love"

"I Wanna Be Your Woman"b/w "Trying to Get the Feeling Again"

"Easy Money"b/w "I Love You Anyway"

"Breaking and Entering"

"I Love You Anyway"

"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.