Somehow, in the shuffle, I’d never realized that Daptone Records was—relatively speaking—a new label. The classic soul sounds of its catalog, including Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Charles Bradley, The Budos Band, Thee Sacred Souls, had always felt like an extension of something that had been happening in the ’60s and ’70s.
It turns out Daptone was founded in 2001 by guitarist Bosco Mann, a former executive at Desco Records, which had recorded some of Sharon Jones’ earliest work. Mann joined forces with saxophonist Neal Sugarman to create a home for a new band they were building around Jones: Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings.
Twenty-five years later, Daptone has stayed remarkably true to that original vision, recording some of the most celebrated soul artists of this century—and doing it on tape. Mann has said that if someone could show him a digital recording that sounded as good as tape, he’d be happy to use it. Until then, he’s sticking with what works.
In addition to Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, the Daptone catalog includes a who’s who of artists you’ve heard on Open Air: Charles Bradley, Antibalas, Thee Sacred Souls, The Budos Band, and two newer artists we’ve recently added, The Womack Sisters and Jalen Ngonda.
I wrote briefly about Jalen Ngonda recently — an artist making deeply authentic retro-soul, complete with the kind of classic arrangements and vocal performances that could have come from another era.
New this week on Open Air are The Womack Sisters, who may have one of the most remarkable family trees in popular music. Sisters BG, Zeimani and Kucha Womack are the daughters of Cecil and Linda Womack, the R&B duo Womack & Womack, who were active in the late ’80s and early ’90s. They’re also the nieces of Bobby Womack and the granddaughters of legendary soul singer Sam Cooke, who was Linda Womack’s father. The soul influence comes naturally.
The sisters carry on that family tradition, blending soul, R&B and gospel into a throwback sound that somehow feels both familiar and fresh—and especially refreshing in a musical landscape increasingly dominated by highly polished pop and new sounds that sometimes seem designed simply to sound different, without necessarily having anything different to say.
While our primary focus on The Rhythm & News Service is newer music, we’re always looking for the artists and songs that will still matter 40 years from now. But it’s hard to ignore artists like The Womack Sisters—and the many others on Daptone—who are doing such extraordinary work with classic sounds.
There’s something reassuring about a label that has spent 25 years proving that you don’t have to chase what’s new to make music that feels alive. Sometimes, keeping the faith is the most forward-looking thing you can do.
Open Air is Weekdays 9AM-3PM on JPR's Rhythm & News Service.
