While she was often revered as “the female James Brown,” the late Sharon Jones was something even better: She was Miss Sharon Jones.
Known for her high-energy live performances, Jones had emerged from decades of studio singer obscurity — at one point, she was a corrections officer at Rikers Island while she struggled to break through in the industry. “I wasn’t what they was looking for,” she told Rolling Stone in 2016. “They just looked at me and they didn’t like what they saw: a short, Black woman.” Directed by Barbara Kopple, 2015’s Miss Sharon Jones! celebrates the life of Jones and follows the singer and the Dap-Kings during a one-year hiatus after Jones was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, as well as her recovery and the journey to her first Grammy-nominated album, 2014’s Give the People What They Want. Jones died from cancer in 2016 at the age of 60. This special screening will also invite WDET “Soul Saturday” host Nick Austin to explore the story behind the documentary.
Event begins at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 19, at the Detroit Film Theatre; 5200 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-833-7963; dia.com. Tickets are $15.
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