Derryck Gleaton (born 30 August 1988), better known as DSharp, is an American violinist, DJ, singer and producer based in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

. Known for his trademark colored

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

s, he writes his own music and performs cover versions of popular songs, focusing on hip hop, electronic dance music and classical pieces. DSharp has played in clubs around the world, including in Amsterdam, Dubai, London, the Philippines and Sweden, where he has performed with

Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive director. He was the founder and front man of the Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he was also chief ...

, American DJ

Kaskade Ryan Gary Raddon (born February 25, 1971), better known by his stage name Kaskade, is an American DJ, record producer and remixer. ''DJ Times'' voted Kaskade "America's Best DJ" in 2011 and 2013. ''DJ Mag'' named Kaskade fifty-first on its 200 ...

, Dutch DJs

Afrojack Nick Leonardus van de Wall (; born 9 September 1987), better known as Afrojack, is a Dutch DJ, music producer and remixer from Spijkenisse, South Holland. In 2007, he founded the record label Wall Recordings; his debut album '' Forget the World' ...

, Chuckie,

Nicky Romero Nick Rotteveel (; born January 6, 1989), professionally known as Nicky Romero or Monocule, is a Dutch DJ, record producer and remixer from Amerongen, Utrecht Province. He has worked with, and received support from DJs, such as Tiësto, Fedde l ...

and

R3hab Fadil El Ghoul ( ar, فضيل الغول; born 2 April 1986), performing under the stage name R3hab (stylized in all caps as R3HAB; pronounced "rehab"), is a Dutch-Moroccan disc jockey and music producer. Ranked at number 12 on the DJ Mag Top 1 ...

, and Swedish DJ

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. He has played with The Dave Matthews Tribute Band, and in 2012 played on four tracks of rapper

Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'", in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Sean Combs, D ...

's album ''

God Forgives, I Don't ''God Forgives, I Don't'' is the fifth studio album by American rapper Rick Ross. It was released on July 30, 2012, by Maybach Music Group and Slip-n-Slide Records, and distributed by Def Jam Recordings. The album was produced by several record ...

'', produced by the

J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League J.U.S.T.I.C.E. (Just Undeniably Some of The Illest Composers Ever) League is an American record production team composed of producers and instrumentalists from Tampa, Florida. The group is made up of members Erik "Rook" Ortiz, Kevin "Colion ...

. In 2009 DSharp was commissioned by the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

to write a piece for the unveiling of an African-American art collection donated to the university by Paul R. Jones.Wayne Grayson
"UA violinist plays a mix of hip-hop, R&B and rock, and his popularity is rising"
''Tuscaloosa News'', 21 June 2009. In 2015 he filmed a music video in New Zealand with

grand prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...

horse rider Caroline Roffman. __TOC__

Background

Born to Don and Mae Gleaton in South Carolina, DSharp attended school in

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it ...

."About DSharp"
, ''artistdata''. He began playing in

sixth grade Sixth grade (or grade six in some regions) is the sixth year of schooling. Students are typically 11–12 years old, depending on when their birthday occurs. Different terms and numbers are used in other parts of the world. It is commonly the firs ...

when, unable to find a

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

for an elective course, he opted for a borrowed

viola The viola ( , also , ) is a string instrument that is bow (music), bowed, plucked, or played with varying techniques. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of ...

instead, and won a place with the Greater Columbus Youth String Orchestra. The family moved to

Anniston, Alabama Anniston is the county seat of Calhoun County in Alabama and is one of two urban centers/principal cities of and included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 23,106. Acco ...

, where he was privately tutored by Bill Brazelton, who had been playing viola and violin for 65 years. DSharp played with the Jacksonville State Community Orchestra and Etowah Youth Orchestra, traveling to Memphis, St. Louis and London with the latter. After graduating from high school in 2006, he attended the

on a music scholarship, where he became an ambassador for the university's Creative Campus initiative."Trilogy Saturday with DJ DSharp!"
''TimeOut'', undated. In 2010 he transferred to

Georgia State University Georgia State University (Georgia State, State, or GSU) is a Public university, public research university in Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1913, it is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities. It is also the ...

in Atlanta.Erin Williams
"Anniston’s 'D-Sharp' is the Jimi Hendrix of the violin"
''The Anniston Star'', 26 August 2012.

References

External links

Official website

DSharp on YouTube

DSharp on Facebook

DSharp on beatport DJs

"Viral musician turning heads with an unlikely instrument"
Aol. Entertainment, 30 April 2016. * Muhammad, Latifah
"Meet D-Sharp: Official DJ For The Golden State Warriors"
''Vibe'', 6 June 2016. * Ullman, Whitney
"Interview with DSharp August
(video), Access AC Live, 8 February 2014. {{DEFAULTSORT:DSharp 1988 births American classical violinists American male violinists African-American DJs Living people 21st-century classical violinists 21st-century American male musicians Hip hop violinists Male classical violinists 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people 21st-century American violinists

Background

See also

References

External links