Sharon Jones Says Cancer Is Back

Sharon Jones broke the news that her battle with cancer isn’t over yet during Friday’s appearance at the premier of her documentary, “Miss Sharon Jones!” in Toronto. After undergoing surgery and chemotherapy in 2013, the head of the Dap Kings will start treatment once more next week.

Photo: Jason Moore

New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Fairgrounds Racecourse, New Orleans, La.

The frontwoman extraordinaire told the crowd at the Toronto International Film Festival, “I start chemo on Wednesday. But I’m gonna keep fighting. We got a long way to go,” according to IndieWire.com.

The site notes that her announcement was especially a downer because “the film leaves us thinking [her cancer] had been eradicated.”

“Miss Sharon Jones” covers her year-long battle with bile duct cancer and return to the stage. The documentary, which is seeking distribution, is directed by Academy Award-winner Barbara Kopple. The funk/soul singer began a six-month course of chemotherapy in August 2013 as a preventative measure following surgery to remove a stage-one tumor.

The diagnosis postponed Jones & The Dap-Kings’ 2013 tour and pushed back the release of Give the People What They Want. Following Jones’ recovery, the band went back on the road and released the album in early 2014. The LP earned the band a Grammy nomination for “Best R&B album.”

The band has a new album coming out Oct. 30 – its first ever holiday album, It’s a Holiday Soul Party.

Jones hasn’t announced whether her cancer treatment will affect the band’s tour schedule. U.S. dates are booked through early December. Her agent wasn’t available for comment when Pollstar phoned earlier today.

Update: A representative for Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings’ agency says that the band will still be appearing at its next scheduled show – Telluride Blues & Brews Festival in Telluride, Colo., Sept. 19.