ABSTRACT
In one of the most significant and compelling commentaries on the subject of rhythm-and-blues music, Nelson George lamented the death of the genre in the late 1970's and early 1980's. Indeed, the development of rhythm-and-blues from the mid-1940s through the early 1970s cannot be discussed outside the context of independent labels. The significance of Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings' debut album is as much personal as it is cultural or economic. To conflate the significance of the rhythm-and-blues tradition to racial binaries is to misunderstand the historical, social, and geographical contexts out of which the tradition arose. The story of Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings embodies the independent ethos that resides at the heart of the independent R&B tradition. Daptone Records remains as independent as it ever was, shunning not only the recording and production techniques of the major label system, but also its distribution channels and business methods.
