Tea for Creatives: Sarah Dash
Meet Sarah Dash. She is a stellar vocalist and 1/3 of the pivotal vocal group Labelle. Sarah Dash, Nona Hendryx and Patti Labelle leveled the girl group playing field. Starting off as Patti Labelle & the Blue Bells (originally with Cindy Birdsong before her departure to the Supremes), the group changed their name to Labelle and transformed their look and sound into wicked harmonic, genre twisting, space goddesses and took the world by storm. After releasing 9 albums with minor hits along the way, it was Labelle’s 10th offering Nightbirds, which included their hit “Lady Marmalade” that changed their lives forever.
In 1977 after releasing two more albums, the group went their separate ways, but in 1978 Dash released her self-titled debut solo album, which featured the Top 10 Dance hit “Sinner Man.” Dash then went on release three more solo projects. During her career she has toured with Keith Richards (Rolling Stones) and she also appeared as a vocalist on his solo projects.
After a brief hiatus following an accident after a performance with Stevie Wonder in Washington DC, Dash is back! She is currently workshopping her one-woman show entitled “Sarah Dash: One Woman” hitting all the highlights in her career at the Laurie Beechman Theatre in New York City under the musical direction of 6-time Emmy Winner Lanny Meyers.
Dash just released a new single “I’m Still Here” on her Johsar Music label. Her album The Seventh Child is scheduled to be released later this year.
For information about Dash’s one-woman show please check out the Laurie Beechman Theater. You can hear and purchase her latest single at cdbaby.com, and if you want to keep up with all that Sarah is doing you can find her at www.sarahdash.net.
What does creativity mean to you and how has it defined your career?
Creativity to me means that it comes from a place where one is in constant change. It’s a part of reaching one goal and then setting some more. How it has defined my career is that it has emphasized the scope of my talent and ability to sing all types of music and yet the common denominator is the sound of my voice. Whenever an opportunity came to do duets with other artists such as Keith Richards and the X-Pensive Winos, this gave me an opportunity to go out and do rock. Creativity means trying all the genres, and to never stop stretching. That’s how it has defined my career.
How do you navigate the creative process?
I get together with my team and sit down and talk about who/what Sarah Dash would be as a solo artist. We take it from that point first. The first part of my solo career was the disco years. We wanted to do all that was required to make it in that world. Then later in my career I had the idea that I wanted to do rooms like the Fairmont Hotel and those types of places. I shed with the band make sure I was comfortable with the material before I would take it out to the public. With the concept there is also the visual. We try different photographs and work on different looks and it means really taking it to the finest point of what works for you and what you feel people will like. If you go away from what feels comfortable to you, then you are no longer honing it from inside, you are doing it from the outside and you can make major mistakes when you are not listening to your inner voice. If you are not hearing it inside then it is impossible to share it. Sometimes that means working one something for months until it is right in my spirit.
What is one of the greatest creative obstacles that you have faced and how did you hurdle it?
There was a time when I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do because I had lost my parents and I didn’t know what I was going to do. So I had to take some time and sit down and talk to my sounding boards, people who I trust to tell me the truth, and move from there.
The biggest creative obstacle I felt for a long time was not being signed to a label and then I realized I am a label. That has allowed me to put my music out on my own and now there are so many different engines to use to get your music out. I wrestled with it, but I moved forward by just going into the studio and writing. I found a great co-producer who was also in the same place and we have come up with something that was beyond my imagination.
Who is one of your favorite creative figures and how have they inspired you and your creativity?
I am the opposite of what people think as far as where my music comes from. I draw from Sarah Vaughn, Carmen McCrae, Tony Bennett, I love Aretha of course. I have been inspired by the poetry of Tupac Shakur. I have been inspired by the writing of Nona Hendryx; her writing and being able to interpret the lyrics and the sound that she created. What really gives me the energy to continue to be inspired by the business was my dad who was a minister and also a business name. He let nothing stop him and he was very focused. It took me a minute to follow that, but I’m inspired by him and my mother who raised 13 children. I learned that you can trust the higher power of God and pray and do all those things and that’s where my inspiration comes from. It’s like my inheritance so to speak. The legacy and he and my mother left.
I’m also inspired by the people who are around me like Robert Risco who keep it real for me and my friend Barbara who always tells me the truth. They do not let who I am and what I do get caught up in their honesty. That honesty inspires me to be creative.
If you could choose one quote or life mantra what would it be?
“You can’t get anything done discussing what has to be done with those who can’t get it done in the first place.” ~ Sarah Dash
That came to me one day in the middle of all this. It means you don’t go to a plumber to get electrical work done. Why are you discussing business with someone who can’t help you get it done?
~Interviewed by Shelley Nicole
The Tea for Creatives series celebrates the creative minds that Possibiliteas seeks to serve with its brews. We aim to bring the creative community insightful and eye-opening profiles of the best and brightest creative professionals across various industries. Join us on Facebook and Twitter for more conversations on creativity.
Tags: Creativitea, creativity, Keith Richards, Labelle, Lanny Meyers, music, Nightbirds, Possibiliteas, R&B, Sarah Dash, soul, vocalist
