b. 10 December 1970, California, USA. Although born in California, Sharp lived many of his early years in Weiser, Idaho. His father, Glen, owned a restaurant and every year he was taken with the contestants for the Old Times Fiddlers Contest who performed there. Sharp was a keen sportsman but he intended to become a professional light-opera singer. On finishing high school, he began his professional career with Sacramento’s Music Circus. When 18 years old, he developed bone cancer and, for a time, it was feared that his leg would be amputated. When his condition deteriorated, the Make-A-Wish foundation arranged for him to meet someone he admired - David Foster, producer of Barbra Streisand and Whitney Houston. A long course of chemotherapy was successful. He then sang at a California theme park and set up a singing telegram business. He self-financed an album, You Can Count On Me, and appeared in a Biblical musical about Joshua. Through David Foster’s help, he was signed to Asylum Records with Chris Farren as producer. To the label’s surprise and perhaps engendered by his remarkable resilience, Measure Of A Man became a bestselling album, and early in 1997, Sharp had a US number 1 country hit with ‘Nobody Knows’, which was a revival of a pop hit by the Tony Rich Project. A six-month tour with Sawyer Brown followed plus the release of ‘She’s Sure Taking It Well’, and plans were made for a television movie of his life. He says, ‘Today I appreciate everything in life so much more than ever. Even the smallest things are beautiful to me. I think I’m a better person, a better Christian, because of what I’ve been through. Music has made a difference every day of my life. Whenever I needed strength, there was always a song.’ That said, it was 7 years before he recorded a new album.
