Georgia Entertainment Scene
Georgia Entertainment Scene

Sharon Jones documentary will be distributed by Starz Digital

Sharon Jones gets in the groove. Photo: Melissa Ruggieri/AJC

Credit: Melissa Ruggieri

Credit: Melissa Ruggieri

Sharon Jones gets in the groove. Photo: Melissa Ruggieri/AJC
By Melissa Ruggieri
May 25, 2016
Sharon Jones at her final Atlanta appearance in May. Photo: Melissa Ruggieri/AJC

Credit: Melissa Ruggieri

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Credit: Melissa Ruggieri

The firecracker known as Sharon Jones lit up the Lakewood Amphitheatre stage last week during her show with Hall & Oates and Trombone Shorty.

Those who aren't familiar with Jones' life and her recent (and, as she mentioned during last week's concert, current) battle with cancer, will be able to learn about the spirited singer and her excellent band, The Dap-Kings, in Barbara Kopple's documentary, "Miss Sharon Jones!"

Starz Digital has acquired the North American distribution rights to the film, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last fall and recently played at SXSW. The company will open the movie theatrically on July 29, followed by a digital, on-demand and home video release this fall.

Kopple, known for her work with the Dixie Chicks’ “Shut Up & Sing” as well as “Harlan County U.S.A.,” about labor tension in the coal mining industry, captured Jones during her initial fight against pancreatic cancer in 2013.

Jones is slated to be on tour with Hall & Oates through the summer.

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About the Author

Melissa Ruggieri has covered music and entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 2010 and created the Atlanta Music Scene blog. She's kept vampire hours for more than two decades and remembers when MTV was awesome.

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