SAN FRANCISCO ( KRON ) — Sugar Pie DeSanto, a prolific Bay Area soul, R&B and blues artist, who performed with greats like James Brown, has died at age 89, according to a family member. DeSanto, who was of Filipino, German and Black descent, according to her brother, passed away in her sleep on Dec. 20.
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DeSanto, who was born Umpeylia Marcema Balinton, was reportedly given her stage name and recording debut by blues and soul bandleader/songwriter Johnny Otis, himself a Vallejo native. With a genre-spanning career that encompassed blues, soul and jazz, DeSanto was also a “hilarious comedienne” and a “show-stopping dancer,” according to her AllMusic bio .
As a songwriter, her compositions were cut by a who’s who of blues and soul greats, including Little Milton, Minnie Riperton, Billy Stewart, and the Dells, to name a few.
