Sugar Pie DeSanto

Born to an African-American mother and a Filipino father on October 16, 1935, in Brooklyn, New York, Sugar Pie DeSanto is a veteran blues and R&B singer and songwriter. Sister of Domingo Balinton, Sugar Pie grew up in San Francisco, California. Among her childhood friends was a girl named Jamesetta Hawkins, who would later become famous as Etta James. They were childhood friends who eventually explored the music world together.

In the 1950s and 1960s, she toured with both Johnny Otis and James Brown, collaborated with Etta James, married Alvin Parham, (a.k.a. Pee Wee Kingsley), and changed her name to Peylia Parham. After their divorce from Parham, she moved to Chicago, where she kept on recording successfully and writing songs for other artists, often along with Shena DeMell.

She was given a Bay Area Music Award in 1999 for Best Female Blues Singer. In September 2008, she was given a Pioneer Award by the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. She received a lifetime achievement award from the Goldie Awards in November 2009.