Screen shot 2020 04 15 at 4 32 24 pm
Screen shot 2020 04 15 at 4 32 24 pm

House Singer Ceybil "Sweet Sable" Jefferies Dies of Coronavirus Complications

Jefferies released her debut album on Atlantic Records in 1990.

This past Friday, Brooklyn singer Ceybil Jefferies passed away after being diagnosed with COVID-19. Salaam Remi and friends of Jefferies confirmed the news on social media.

As an Atlantic Records signee, Jefferies made her debut with the single "Love So Special" in 1990. The single appeared on her album Let Music Take Control. Later that year, her next single "Open Your Heart" made the Top 20 of Billboard's Dance Clubs Chart.

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After parting with Atlantic in 1993, Jefferies' single "Old Times' Sake" appeared on the Above the Rim soundtrack in 1994, under the name Sweet Sable. The track peaked at number 15 on Billboard's R&B charts. Her next album, Old Times Sake, produced two charting R&B singles, "Tonight" and "Love Thang." The latter song would beat out Usher's second-ever single "Think Of You" on Billboard's Hot Dance Breakouts chart.

Later in her career, Jefferies would perform alongside hip-hop legends like MC Lyte and Guru of Gang Starr. Her next foray into house music came in 1996. "It's Gonna Be Alright," with the Dutch group Deep House Zone, hit the Top 20 on Billboard's Hot Dance Play chart.

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In 2012, Jefferies was diagnosed with neurosarcoidosis, an inflammatory disease infecting the lungs. The disease rendered her blind.

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