Dee Dee Sharp

Dione LaRue (born September 9, 1945), known professionally as Dee Dee Sharp, is an American R&B singer. She was one of the first Black female teenage pop stars to achieve mainstream national success in the early 1960s. At the age of 16, Sharp achieved her breakthrough with the duet "Slow Twistin'" alongside Chubby Checker in 1962. Her debut single "Mashed Potato Time" (1962) reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and sold more than one million copies. She followed it with several additional top 10 hits, including "Gravy (For My Mashed Potatoes)" (1962), "Ride!" (1962), and "Do the Bird" (1963). A frequent performer on American Bandstand, Sharp also appeared on Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars tours. She later had dance hits with the songs "Share My Love" (1975) and "Breaking and Entering" (1981).