Bill Sharpe (musician)
Bill Sharpe | |
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![]() Sharpe as Member of Shakatak in Wuppertal, Germany (2014) | |
Background information | |
Birth name | William Jeffrey Revell Sharpe |
Born | 1952 (age 71–72) Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, England |
Genres | Pop |
Occupation | Musician |
Instrument | Keyboards |
Years active | 1980s–present |
Bill Sharpe (born William Jeffrey Revell Sharpe, November 19, 1952, Bishop's Stortford, England) is a British musician, who has worked as a member of Shakatak, as a solo artist, and with others, such as Gary Numan and Don Grusin.
Life and career
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f4/2014-09-19_Shakatak_057.jpg/220px-2014-09-19_Shakatak_057.jpg)
Sharpe was educated at Bishop's Stortford College. From there he studied music at Birmingham University where he gained an honours degree.
He worked for the BBC as a studio manager for six years and then, in the early 1980s, was a founding member of the group Shakatak.[1]
In 1985, he teamed with Gary Numan; billed as Sharpe & Numan. The duo scored a British Top 20 hit with the single "Change Your Mind".[2] That same year, Sharpe released his debut solo album, Famous People, which included the duet with Numan. Other vocalists featured on the album include then-frequent Numan backing singer Tessa Niles, who sang the title track.[3] It was released as the second single from the album, but did not chart.
A follow-up Sharpe & Numan single, "New Thing from London Town", was featured on Numan's 1986 album Strange Charm. Two years later, Sharpe & Numan returned with the single "No More Lies", and in early 1989 the duo released a full album together, Automatic. A second single, "I'm on Automatic", was a modest UK Top 40 hit. "Change Your Mind" was also included on that album.[2][4]
In 1999, he recorded his second solo album, State of the Heart in Los Angeles, co-produced by Don Grusin. This featured many artists including Jeffrey Osborne and Gerald Albright.[5] He continued to work with Don Grusin on a joint project called Geography released in 2007. Sharpe's second collaboration with Grusin, Trans Atlantica,[6] was released on 3 September 2012 through the London label, Secret Records, and included their first album Geography as a special 2-CD package.[7] In recent years, he has worked with Jah Wobble on the album Kingdom of Fitzrovia; Roberto Tola on the album Bein' Green and "Fast" Eddie Clarke on his album, Make My Day.
Sharpe continues to tour and record with Shakatak.
References
- ^ Ankeny, Jason. "Biography: Shakatak". Allmusic. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
- ^ a b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 398/9. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ "Bill Sharpe - Famous People (Vinyl, LP, Album) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
- ^ "Sharpe & Numan Discography at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
- ^ "Bill Sharpe - State Of The Heart (CD, Album) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
- ^ "Trans Atlántica - Bill Sharpe, Don Grusin : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
- ^ "Trans Atlántica - Bill Sharpe, Don Grusin : Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 February 2013.