A Three-Night Soul Residency Like No Other
In December 2017, The Sugar Club became the epicenter of authentic soul music when Lee Fields & The Expressions took up residence for three consecutive nights (December 7th, 8th, and 9th). For a ChoiceCuts favorite to undertake such an ambitious Christmas-time residency spoke volumes about both Fields’ drawing power and Dublin’s appetite for genuine, uncompromising soul. These weren’t just concerts—they were nightly celebrations of a music tradition that spans five decades, delivered by a man who has dedicated his entire life to the craft.
Fields had already proven himself to Dublin audiences earlier in 2015, when he blew every other act out of the water at the Body & Soul Festival before returning to The Sugar Club for what would be the first of many memorable performances. By December 2017, he was touring his album “Special Night”—a record written, recorded, mixed, and mastered in just three weeks at the iconic Diamond Mine Studios in Queens, New York, and notably the first project where Fields and The Expressions wrote every song together.
The Journey of “Little JB”
To understand the significance of Lee Fields’ Sugar Club residency, you must first appreciate the remarkable journey of Elmer Lee Fields. Born on April 26, 1950, in Wilson, North Carolina, Fields grew up in a household where his parents ran a speakeasy on Saturday nights and took him to church on Sundays—a perfect incubation for a future soul singer. Those contrasting influences—the secular joy of Saturday night music and the spiritual intensity of Sunday morning gospel—would inform everything Fields would create.
As a teenager in the late 1960s, Fields was so devoted to James Brown that people began calling him “Little JB” (Little James Brown)—a nickname that stuck throughout his career due to his physical stature and vocal resemblance to the Godfather of Soul. At age 13, a friend dared him to enter a talent show, knowing Fields could sing every song he heard. Not only did Fields win, but the band performing that night—The Stingrays—asked him to be their singer. He accepted, and as Fields recalls, “it never stopped.”
In 1967, at the height of the James Brown and Otis Redding era, the teenage Fields left North Carolina for Brooklyn with just $2 in his pocket, following the thinnest of promises from a contact who said he’d make him a star. It was, as Fields later admitted, incredibly naive—but it was also the beginning of a journey that would span more than five decades.
The Long Road: Success, Obscurity, and Resurrection
Fields recorded his first single in 1969—”Bewildered” b/w “Tell Her I Love Her” on the Bedford label. Throughout the 1970s, he recorded prolifically for various labels including London Records (“Gonna Make Love” in 1973) and the popular “Let’s Talk It Over” b/w “She’s a Love Maker” that same year. He spent the latter half of the decade cutting singles for Angle 3 Records, including “The Bull Is Coming” b/w “Funky Screw,” before releasing his first full-length album “Let’s Talk It Over” in 1979.
During this period, Fields worked with an impressive roster of soul and R&B legends: Kool and the Gang, O.V. Wright, Darrell Banks, B.B. King, Clarence Carter, Dr. John, Tyrone Davis, Johnny Taylor, Denise LaSalle, Bobby Blue Bland, Betty Wright, The Manhattans, Little Milton, and Bobby Womack. He was a working soul singer in the classic tradition—touring constantly, recording singles, building a regional following.
Then came the 1980s, and disco’s dominance changed everything. Venues that had previously booked live soul acts now hired DJs instead. Work dried up almost completely. Fields, now a family man living in New Jersey with his wife Christine and their four children, moved into real estate in Newark to support his family. “But the star was still in my eye, I still had that dream,” he later recalled.
In the 1990s, Fields returned to music, singing soul-blues on the Southern circuit—a thriving regional scene supported by a deep network of radio stations and clubs that the mainstream largely ignored. He signed with Mississippi-based Ace Records and later with the small DBA imprint. His music echoed the influences of the 1960s he grew up loving, though he adapted to contemporary styles, incorporating synthesizers and drum machines to stay current.
The Brooklyn Renaissance: Desco, Daptone, and Truth & Soul
Fields’ career resurrection began in the late 1990s when Brooklyn’s retro-soul label Desco Records—founded by Gabriel Roth and Phillip Lehman—sought vocalists who could complement their throwback sound. Sharon Jones became one of their key rediscoveries; Lee Fields was the other.
Fields was featured on the debut album “Gimme the Paw” by Desco’s house band The Soul Providers in 1997, and released several singles with the label before dropping a full-length album “Let’s Get a Groove On” in 1999. When Desco split into Daptone Records and Soul Fire, Fields recorded for both, releasing singles like “Give Me a Chance” and “Shot Down” on Daptone over 2001-2002, and the album “Problems” on Soul Fire in late 2002.
But the real transformation came when Fields connected with Brooklyn’s Truth & Soul Records and producers Leon Michels and Jeff Dynamite (the duo also behind Aloe Blacc’s stellar 2010 album “Good Things”). “These guys! I wouldn’t be surprised, in their careers, if they didn’t become the next Motown, man,” Fields enthused. “There are so many young acts coming over today to the label, and these guys have their hands right on the pulse of the people.”
Truth & Soul recorded a single with Fields that became “Honey Dove,” and in 2009, Lee Fields & The Expressions released “My World”—an album that would change everything. The album’s standout track “Love Comes and Goes,” initially only available on 7-inch vinyl, featured Fields’ voice “aching with fragility, but also with conviction,” lending perfect gravitas to a sublime ballad. With its Memphis-flavored soul stew, the song brought Fields full circle back to his Southern roots, 40 years after his career began.
The Comeback Albums: Faithful Man to Special Night
“My World” marked Fields’ emergence as retro-soul royalty to younger fans who discovered in him an authentic voice from soul’s golden age. His follow-up albums cemented this late-blooming renaissance:
“Treacherous” (2011) continued exploring the retro-soul aesthetic with The Expressions, establishing the band as Fields’ perfect musical partners.
“Faithful Man” (2012) was widely acclaimed as one of his finest works. The title track—a soul-baring, gut-wrenching exploration of fidelity—drew from Fields’ real life as a family man. When he sings about testing his commitment, he really is the devoted husband and father depicted in the song, making the emotional vulnerability all the more powerful.
“Emma Jean” (2014), named after Fields’ mother, featured the soulful and bluesy track that painted evocative pictures of small Southern towns. The album also included “All I Need,” which would be sampled by Travis Scott on his hit “Antidote,” introducing Fields’ voice to an entirely new generation of hip-hop fans. (Other artists who’ve sampled Fields include J. Cole, Slum Village, and Travie McCoy.)
“Special Night” (2017), recorded on Big Crown Records (founded by former Truth & Soul co-founder Leon Michels), was the album Fields toured when he arrived at The Sugar Club for his December residency. Written, recorded, mixed, and mastered in just three weeks, the album captured spontaneous creative energy while maintaining the sophisticated songcraft that defined Fields’ comeback. For the first time, every song was written collaboratively by Fields and The Expressions, marking a new level of creative partnership.
The album featured socially conscious tracks like “It Rains Love”—a call to action for people to work together to create positive change, driven by funky grooves, soulful horns, and Fields’ passionate vocals that made it both inspiring and uplifting.
A Sugar Club Performance: Pure Soul Combustion
Those who attended Lee Fields’ Sugar Club performances witnessed something increasingly rare: a genuine soul revue in the classic tradition. As documented in a December 2015 review, a typical Fields show was a masterclass in how soul music should be performed.
The evening would begin with no support act—this was all about Lee Fields. As soul standards played over the PA, crew members would fire rolled-up towels onto the stage (an old soul tradition for wiping sweat during energetic performances). The Expressions would take their positions and launch into instrumental runs—fast soul movers and lounge jams straight from 110th Street—building anticipation until Fields emerged from the wings.
Then the magic would begin. Despite his small stature, Fields’ presence consumed the room. Opening with new material like “I’m Still Hanging On,” delivered with soul-wrenching intensity, sweat would immediately begin dripping from his brow. The refrain hit with devastating emotional power—this was a man who meant every word he sang.
Next came the charm offensive. During “Ladies,” Fields would take the microphone into the crowd, chatting up the front row with playful flirtation: “I know your man gotta be satisfied” to one woman. “Bet your man’s wondering where you are tonight huh?” to another. This wasn’t scripted patter—it was spontaneous connection, the kind of audience engagement that defined soul revues of the 1960s and 70s.
Then “I Still Got It”—delivered in a way that only a man who genuinely believes he’s still got it possibly could. The jacket would come off. Fields might ask the audience to bear with him if he tears up during “Wish You Were Here,” a song recorded before his father’s death. After this raw emotional rendering, it was time to shift gears: “It’s time to get some funk up in here!” The band would break into “Money Is King” or another uptempo number.
The bass player might shout “Let me hear you say ‘yeah’ if you wanna hear more Lee Fields!” as the band launched into another irresistible instrumental soul review, the horn section shining. Fields would leave the stage and return multiple times, building energy until “Honey Dove” calmed things down before erupting into a double-time Motown stomp.
The finale often featured a cover of James Brown’s “Sunny”—a full-circle moment acknowledging the Godfather who inspired everything. The band would ramp it up for this call-and-response soul cracker, and when Fields finally left for the last time, he’d sing “Thank you for the sunshine.” The audience would know he genuinely meant it.
Why The Sugar Club Was Perfect
The Sugar Club’s intimate 350-capacity environment provided ideal conditions for Lee Fields’ performances. Soul music of this authenticity requires proximity—you need to see the sweat, witness the emotional vulnerability, feel the energy exchange between performer and audience. The venue’s tiered seating offered perfect sightlines, while the Funktion-One sound system captured every nuance of The Expressions’ tight arrangements and Fields’ dynamic vocals.
Moreover, ChoiceCuts’ programming philosophy aligned perfectly with Fields’ artistry. As promoter Mark Murphy explained, “Everything is one degree away. If it’s a Choice Cuts show, they’re all my record collection—that’s my rule.” Fields embodied this aesthetic: authentic soul music, uncompromising quality, deep connection to tradition while remaining vibrantly contemporary.
The December residency format allowed Fields and The Expressions to truly settle into the space. Over three consecutive nights, they could experiment, stretch songs differently each evening, build rapport with audiences who might attend multiple shows. It was the kind of extended engagement that’s increasingly rare in modern touring—a throwback to when artists would play weeklong residencies at clubs, developing their craft and deepening their connection with local audiences.
The Legacy and Continued Relevance
By the time Fields performed his Sugar Club residency, he’d released sixteen albums spanning funk, lo-fi blues, and contemporary soul. His music appeared in films like “Soul Men” (2008), “Magic Mike XXL” (2015, which featured “Ladies”), TV shows like “Law & Order: SVU,” “Atlanta,” and the 2023 Arnold Schwarzenegger series “FUBAR.” Most notably, his song “Forever” was featured in the highest-rated Super Bowl LVII commercial for The Farmer’s Dog in 2023, introducing his voice to millions.
In 2014, Fields provided additional vocals for the James Brown biographical film “Get On Up”—a full-circle moment for the man who’d spent his life channeling Little JB’s spirit while creating his own distinct identity.
What makes Fields’ story so compelling is that he’s arguably more relevant now than he’s ever been. Thanks to changing management, his partnership with The Expressions, and the soul revival championed by labels like Truth & Soul, Daptone, and Big Crown, Fields has found audiences who appreciate both his historical authenticity and his continued creative vitality.
“Your whole purpose, man, is you’re trying to make the records that you feel like you’re supposed to make,” Fields explained in a 2024 interview. “It’s all about the feeling that I’m looking for this record to bring. So every record, what we try to do, as far as when I’m with Leon or whether I’m with Toby or Gabe or whoever the person is that I’m writing with, it is about coming up with that song, man.”
His 2019 album “It Rains Love” and 2022’s “Sentimental Fool” (on Daptone) demonstrated that even in his seventies, Fields continues creating vital, emotionally resonant soul music. “I feel that every human being’s purpose is to do what their inner voice says to do,” Fields stated. “And my inner voice, my driving force, wants me to put out music and keeping making better records.”
The Soul Survivor Philosophy
Fields represents something increasingly precious in contemporary music: uncompromising artistic integrity combined with genuine humility. Despite five decades in the business, despite working with legends, despite late-career acclaim, Fields remains that kid from North Carolina who just wants to sing soul music the way it’s meant to be sung.
“I wouldn’t change a thing,” he said when reflecting on his long journey, including the difficult years. The struggles, the obscurity, the years working in real estate while the dream stayed alive—all of it shaped the artist who now delivers performances that critics describe as nothing short of transcendent.
When Fields takes the stage, he carries with him not just his own history but the entire tradition of soul music: the church fervor, the Saturday night speakeasy spirit, the James Brown showmanship, the Otis Redding emotional depth, the commitment to authentic feeling over commercial calculation. He’s a living link to soul’s golden age who somehow makes that tradition feel urgent and contemporary.
Experience Authentic Soul at The Sugar Club
Lee Fields’ residencies and performances at The Sugar Club exemplify our commitment to presenting artists who prioritize authenticity, emotional truth, and deep connection to musical traditions. For over two decades, The Sugar Club has been Dublin’s home for soul music that matters—whether it’s legends like Lee Fields or the next generation of artists carrying the torch forward.
Our intimate setting creates the perfect environment for experiencing soul music the way it was meant to be heard: up close, personal, with nowhere to hide and everything to give. From the sweat on the performer’s brow to the tears in their eyes, from the tightest horn arrangements to the rawest emotional vulnerability—The Sugar Club provides the space for these magical moments to unfold.