Sugar Pie DeSanto

Peylia Marsema Balinton (October 16, 1935 – December 20, 2024), known professionally as Sugar Pie DeSanto, was an American R&B singer and dancer, whose career in music flourished in the 1950s and 1960s.

Early life DeSanto was born on October 16, 1935, in New York City, to an African-American mother, who was a concert pianist, and a Filipino father. She spent most of her early life in San Francisco, California, where she moved with her family at the age of four. She stood . Otis gave her the stage name Sugar Pie.

DeSanto was given a Bay Area Music Award in 1999 for best female blues singer. In September 2008, she was given a Pioneer Award by the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. She received a lifetime achievement award from the Goldie Awards in November 2009.

DeSanto was honored on December 10, 2020 by the Arhoolie Foundation, a nonprofit that honors artists who preserve traditional music for future generations.

She was a 2024 inductee to the Blues Hall of Fame.

Personal life and death DeSanto was married to Pee Wee Kingsley in the 1950s. After that marriage ended, she was married to Jesse Earl Davis for 27 years. In October 2006, Davis died attempting to extinguish a fire that destroyed their apartment in Oakland, California.

DeSanto died on December 20, 2024, at the age of 89 in Oakland, California.

Albums/CDs Sugar Pie (Checker LP-2979, 1961) − Veltone and Checker material Lovin' Touch (Diving Duck DD-4310, 1987) − 1959–1967 recordings Down In The Basement: The Chess Years (Chess/MCA CH-9275, 1989) Go Go Power: The Complete Chess Singles 1961–1966 (Kent CDKEND-317, 2009) A Little Bit of Soul 1957–1962 (Jasmine JASMCD-3081, 2017)

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