Sarah Dash Biography – Sarah Dash Wiki
Sarah Dash was an American singer and actress who first appeared on the music scene as a member of Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles. Dash was later a member of Labelle and worked as a singer, session musician, and sideman for The Rolling Stones, and Keith Richards. In 2017, she was named the city’s musical ambassador by then-Mayor Eric Jackson. She was among two dozen honorees being inducted in New Jersey’s Hall of Fame during a virtual ceremony scheduled for October 2021.
Dash created a vocal duo called the Capris before relocating to Philadelphia in the mid-‘60s. It was there that she teamed up with Nona Hendryx, Patti LaBelle, and Sundray Tucker as members of a quartet called The Ordettes. When soon-to-be Supremes member Cindy Birdsong replaced Tucker, the group changed its name to The Bluebelles in 1962. After another moniker switch to Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles, the group gained attention with R&B ballads, including a reinterpretation of “Over the Rainbow” which has since become a LaBelle concert favorite and also opened for the Rolling Stones in the early ‘60s.
In 1971, after the groups’ reincarnation as the trio Labelle that things started to click. Eschewing the sophisticated glamour associated with girl groups then, Labelle switched to Afros and funkier wardrobes — and later space suits — to open for acts like The Who and record more socially, sexually, and politically conscious songs such as the ballad “Can I Speak to You Before You Go to Hollywood?,” featuring Dash’s strong soprano as co-lead. All of this led to Labelle’s biggest commercial success with “Lady Marmalade” from their 1974 album Nightbirds. “Lady Marmalade” reached No. 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Soul Singles (now Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs). The classic single was voted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2003 and the National Recording Registry in 2020. The album Nightbirds reached the top 10 on both the Billboard 200 and Soul LP’s (now Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums). After subsequent albums Phoenix and Chameleon in 1975 and 1976, respectively, Labelle broke up, and Dash embarked on a solo career.
Her 1978 eponymous debut album appeared at the top 10 Hot Dance Club Songs hit “Sinner Man,” which was also Dash’s only Billboard Hot 100 hit, reaching No. 71 the following year. Three other solo albums followed: Ooh La La, Sarah Dash in 1980, Close Enough in 1983 and You’re All I Need in 1988. Subsequent singles of note included “Ooh La La, Too Soon, that later used in a Sassoon jeans commercial, and the top 20 Hot Dance Club Songs hit “Lucky Tonight.” She also did session work for the O’Jays, Chic’s Nile Rodgers, The Marshall Tucker Band, and David Johansen. The late ‘80s into the early ‘90s found Dash doing session work, writing songs and touring with Keith Richards, and also hitting the road with the Rolling Stones.
After developing and touring with her own one-woman show, Dash of Diva, in the early ‘90s, the late reunited with Hendryx and LaBelle for the No. 1 dance hit “Turn It Out” from the 1995 soundtrack, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar. The trio came back together again in 2008 for the critically acclaimed reunion album Back to Now (featuring the Dash-led political song “System”), collaborating with producers Lenny Kravitz, Wyclef Jean, and Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff. Dash was given the Lifetime Achievement Award by The National R&B Music Society in 2016.
Sarah Dash Age
She was born on August 18, 1945, in Trenton, New Jersey, United States and died on September 20, 2021. She was aged 76.
Sarah Dash Husband
She was married briefly and had no children. Her ex-husband remains undisclosed.
Sarah Dash Children
She was married briefly and had no children.
Sarah Dash Family
She was the seventh of 13 children born to a pastor and nurse. Her father was a pastor at the Trenton Church of Christ in the state of New Jersey and bishop, while her mother was a nurse.
Sarah Dash Death
She died on Monday, September 20, 2021. She was 76. Her death was confirmed to media outlets on Monday afternoon, with a close friend, Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora, posting on Facebook: “Trenton lost a star today with Sarah Dash’s passing. She is now with the angels.” The politician revealed to the Trentonian newspaper the beloved singer had complained to her family that she was not feeling well in the days before her passing.
“We were just on stage together on Saturday, September 18, 2021, and it was such a powerful and special moment,” group namesake Patti LaBelle said in a statement sent to Billboard; see part of that performance in the Instagram video below. “Sarah Dash was an awesomely talented, beautiful, and loving soul who blessed my life and the lives of so many others in more ways than I can say. I could always count on her to have my back. That’s who Sarah was … a loyal friend and a voice for those who didn’t have one. She was a true giver, always serving and sharing her talent and time. I am heartbroken, as I know all of her loved ones and fans are. But I know that Sarah’s spirit and all that she has given to the world live on. And I pray that her precious memory brings us peace and comfort. Rest in power, my dear sister. I love you always!”
Sarah Dash Cause of Death
No cause of death was given. It was however revealed that she had complained to her family that she was not feeling well a few days before she passed on. She died on Monday, September 20, 2021. She was 76.
