Dave Sharp

Dave Sharp
Dave Sharp
Background information
Birth name	David Kitchingman [1]
Born	January 28, 1959 (1959-01-28) (age 50)
Origin	Salford, England
Genre(s)	Rock, Punk rock
Instrument(s)	Guitar
Years active	1981-present
Associated acts	Seventeen (1979-1980) The Alarm (c.1980-1991) The Soul Company The Hard Travelers AOR - Spirit of The Alarm
Website	AOR Spirit of The Alarm
Notable instrument(s)
Guitar

Dave Sharp, (born David Kitchingman^[2]) in the Kersal district of Salford, Lancashire, 28 January 1959 is an English guitarist, most noted for co-founding along with Mike Peters, of The Alarm.

Early Life

Sharp started playing guitar in his early teens and from the onset was influenced by Woodstock-era rock bands of the late 60s/early 70s.

In the mid-70s, Sharp formed various experimental punk rock bands, often based in the area around Rhyl where childhood friend Nigel Twist was now living. He first joined up with Mike Peters and Eddie MacDonald in the band Seventeen in which his friend Twist was playing drums. Although in the merchant navy at the time, between tours of duty, Sharp stood in on guitar at some gigs.

Seventeen marked his debut guitar playing on record when he played on their Don’t Let Go / Bank Holiday Weekend single.

The Alarm

Seventeen disbanded in 1980, however they soon regrouped as The Alarm, with Sharp now a full-time member having left the navy.

The Alarm went on to have hit records across Europe and in the U.S., notably 68 Guns and The Spirit of '76.

At the end of The Alarm’s 1991 world tour, Mike Peters left the band, prompting Sharp to release his first solo album, Hard Travellin’, for which he teamed up with record producer Bob Johnston.

Solo Career

Without Alarm commitments, Sharp toured the album across the UK and in America.

Ultimately he quit the UK music scene and permanently relocated to the US, spending the next few years touring and recording with artists, such as Johnny Cash, Larry Crane, Dave Grissolm (The John Cougar Mellencamp band), Willie Nelson, George Porter (The Neville Brothers), Chris Solberg (Santana), and Stiff Little Fingers.

His second solo album Downtown America was released in 1996.

Frustrated by the increasing domination of major corporations in the music business, Sharp moved to New Orleans where he found the local music scene insulated from the corporatism of the rest of America. He quickly found himself at home in that scene. Whilst there he discovered The Kerry Irish Pub on Decatur street. Dedicated to live music and particularly to the acoustic form, he found it the perfect venue to explore his musical influences. Sharp would play there regularly, both as a solo performer and with the many local musicians whom he came across.

However, after a number of years in New Orleans, Sharp began to look once again to the British music scene for inspiration.

Following his return to the UK in early 2002, Sharp immediately began touring solo and acoustic, headlining venues up and down the country, such as The Cavern Club (Liverpool), The Underworld (London) and King Tut’s (Glasgow), taking on opening slots with artists such as Nick Harper, 3 Men & Black, Bob Geldof and Lonnie Donegan.

During this time he began searching out musicians for his new band with just one criterion: 'These cats have got to be seriously tested rock players who can deliver.'

After a meeting with bass player, Keith Ashcroft (Chris Farlowe, Hamish Stewart), things began to fall into place. Ashcroft suggested a collaboration with 10cc drummer Paul Burgess. Dr. Feelgood band guitarist Mo Witham sat in, and with the addition of guitar player Jim Holmes the line-up was complete. The Soul Company was formed on November 5, 2003 and released one album.

Hard Travelers

Towards the end of 2007 Sharp, having spent most of his recent time playing solo acoustic, was ready to form a new band again. He was put in touch with legendary guitarist Henry McCullough (Wings, Grease Band) and, after a few days together in Ireland where they really gelled, the nucleus of The Hard Travelers was formed. The basic concept of the band's music was the intention to bring the songs of Woodie Guthrie to a new public. To complete the lineup, Sharp and McCullough brought in Zoot Money (The Animals, Big Roll Band), on Keyboard; Gary Fletcher, (The Blues Band) on Bass; and Colin Allen, (Bob Dylan, John Lee Hooker) on Drums.

Their debut gig, following a recording session, was on 22 January 2008 in Portsmouth at The Cellars. The following booked gigs had to be postponed for a while due to various difficulties and their next performance was at The Black Horse Festival, Hastings where they headlined on Saturday 24 May.

AOR - The Spirit Of The Alarm

In April 2008 Sharp launched his own version of The Alarm, AOR - Spirit of The Alarm - to showcase the band's American setlists from the late 80's as opposed to former lead singer Mike Peters' version concentrating on the earlier part of their career and later new material.

Together with North West musicians Wayne Parry, Dave Black, Tom Szakaly and Si Smith, AOR played their debut gig at Glasgow Rockers 18 April, later supporting The Damned at Heywood Civic Centre in support of the Sophie Lancaster Foundation on November 26 2008.

In the studio AOR are preparing to release an album in 2009 including their own version of the classic "With a Little Help from my Friends."

External links

• Dave Sharp's website
• Hard Travelers website
• AOR at MySpace
• AOR - The Spirit Of The Alarm

References

1. ^ http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/bio/index.jsp?pid=3940&aid=1214
2. ^ http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/bio/index.jsp?pid=3940&aid=1214