She began winning talent shows up and down Fillmore Street at 18, when she weighed just 85 pounds, wore size 3 shoes and went by her given name, Umpeylia Marsema Balinton. Her first hit, in 1959, rose to number 3 on the Billboard charts. She sang with greats like Etta James, opened for James Brown and took on a stage name, Sugar Pie DeSanto. Now at age 78, she lives in Oakland and still sings the blues.
A film about Sugar Pie DeSanto’s life called Bittersweet is in production, and she will perform this Sunday, July 13, at the Stern Grove Music Festival in San Francisco.
