Dave Sharp | |
---|---|
Born | 28 January 1959 |
Origin | Salford, England |
Genres | Rock, punk rock, new wave |
Instruments | 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 | Official website |
Dave Sharp (born 28 January 1959) is an English guitarist who co-founded, along with Mike Peters, the Welsh punk/new wave band The Alarm.
Sharp was born in Kersal, Salford, Lancashire, and began playing with the band Seventeen in the 1970s; he made his recording debut on their "Don't Let Go" / "Bank Holiday Weekend" single. After Seventeen disbanded in 1980, the band reformed as The Alarm, eventually recording hit records such as "68 Guns" and "The Spirit of '76".
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 Henry McCullough and, after a few days together in Ireland, the nucleus of The Hard Travelers was formed. The concept of the band's music was the intention to bring the songs of Woody Guthrie to a new public. To complete the lineup, Sharp and McCullough brought in Zoot Money on keyboards; Gary Fletcher on bass; and Colin Allen 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 24 May 2008.
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 1980s. Together with North West musicians Wayne Parry, Dave Black, Tom Szakaly and Si Smith, AOR played their debut gig at Glasgow Rockers on 18 April, later supporting The Damned at Heywood Civic Centre in support of the Sophie Lancaster Foundation on 26 November 2008.