Music fans everywhere were crushed last month, when beloved soul singer Ms. Sharon Jones passed away at the age of 60. Jones’ story was one of triumph, getting her first big break at the age of 40 and, years later, overcoming cancer and returning to the stage. Unfortunately, though that cancer returned late last year, Jones remained optimistic and still performed occasionally. When news broke that she had gone, it was difficult for everyone to grasp. So in spirit of the holidays, Daptone Records has shared her final video.
Last season, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings released a holiday album, It’s A Holiday Soul Party. (Check out the album here.) Daptone Records recently released a stop-motion music video for “Please Come Home For Christmas” which was originally scheduled to release before Ms. Jones untimely death. The claymation video, directed by Alex Howard and David Drew Hatter, was created in the style of Romeo Muller‘s 1964 Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer special. According to OkayPlayer, the video was “Built from over 3200 single photos, recorded on an iPhone 6-Plus with a Stop-Motion application,” and “took three months, 12 cans of flocking and 600 man-hours to produce the cold, wintery setting.”
Watch Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings new music video for “Please Come Home For Christmas” in honor of her memory:
Daptone Records co-owner and Dap-Kings bandleader Gabriel Roth recently penned a letter to fans, saying, “Our friend Sharon has always been at the heart of Daptone and always will be. I am so grateful to her and to all of you for putting your hearts into all of this in so many ways.”
The soul sensation’s new documentary, Miss Sharon Jones!, which follows her through her final years of life, will be available on Netflix on January 7.