Sarah Dash -

Sarah Dash (August 18, 1945 – September 20, 2021) was an American soul singer who emerged as one-third of the soul-funk vocal trio Labelle. She went solo in 1978 and made four albums through 1988, scoring R&B/dance hits with “Sinner Man,” “(Come and Take) This Candy from Your Baby,” and “Lucky Tonight.”

Background

Sarah Dash was born Aug. 18, 1945, in Trenton, New Jersey, the seventh of 13 children of pastor and businessman Abraham Dash and nurse Elizabeth Dash. She sang in the choir at Trenton Church of Christ, where her father served as pastor, and studied music under Thomas Grice at Junior Five School and Trenton High School. Dash entered local singing contests as a child and won a competition at Trenton nightclub the Crossing Inn.

Dash formed the Del-Capris in Trenton as a young teenager and recruited Nona Hendryx after hearing her sing with a visiting church choir. The two singers worked local engagements before manager Bernard Montague placed them in the Philadelphia vocal group the Ordettes in 1961 with Patricia Holte and Sundray Tucker. Cindy Birdsong replaced Tucker before the quartet secured a deal with Newtown Records owner Harold Robinson and adopted the Blue Belles name. Dash left Trenton as a teenager to work professionally with the group and continued her education with a tutor on the road.

Dash sang on the Blue Belles recording sessions and remained part of the quartet through the Newtown, Parkway, and Atlantic periods. The group scored chart records with “Down the Aisle (The Wedding Song),” “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” and “Danny Boy,” then opened American dates for the Rolling Stones and signed with Atlantic. Dash also contributed songs to the Blue Belles repertoire as the quartet expanded beyond records built primarily around Holte, now billed as Patti LaBelle. In 1967, Birdsong left for The Supremes while Dash, LaBelle, and Hendryx continued as a trio .

In 1970, Vicki Wickham reshaped the trio as Labelle. Dash co-wrote “Baby’s Out of Sight” for their 1971 self-titled debut and wrote “Peace With Yourself” for the followup, Moon Shadow. She also shared lead parts on “I Believe That I’ve Finally Made It Home” and took a prominent section of the Hendryx composition “(Can I Speak to You Before You Go to) Hollywood” on Pressure Cookin’.

Labelle also joined Laura Nyro for the 1971 Columbia album Gonna Take a Miracle. The trio subsequently toured with The Who and developed a stage format in which all three singers assumed visible individual roles. They consolidated their popularity with the 1974–76 albums Nightbirds, Phoenix, and Chameleon, scoring a No. 1 hit with “Lady Marmalade.” By the final Labelle period, Dash favored a stronger move toward disco while Hendryx pursued rock-oriented material and LaBelle preferred soul. The trio ended its fourteen-year partnership after the final 1976 performances.

Don Kirshner signed Dash to as a solo artist to Kirshner Records.

Discography: