South Carolina music venue to change name in honour of Sharon Jones

Jones, who led the soul and funk band Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, is getting a music venue in South Carolina named after her.

According to Brooklyn Vegan, the city council of North Augusta in South Carolina voted on Monday (2 November) to rename the newly-opened Riverside Village Amphitheater to the Sharon Jones Amphitheater.

The venue opened its doors in June during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, and has only been able to host a few socially-distanced shows.

Jones' sister Willia Stringer told Rolling Stone of the venue name change, "She would be flabbergasted right now. We didn’t live far from there. My father used to walk down with us down to the river. Back then, there was nothing there but trees and the river."

Daptone Records owner Gabe Roth added, "This is so cool. No one was able to lift the room like she could. It’s great to have a place where people will hit the stage and think of her. She would have been thrilled."