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 The Alarm are a Welsh rock band that formed in Rhyl, Wales in 1981. Initially formed as a punk band, the Toilets, in 1977 under lead vocalist Mike Peters, the group soon embraced arena rock and included marked influences from Welsh language ...

Early career

Sharp was born in

Kersal Kersal is a district of Salford, Greater Manchester, England, northwest of Manchester city centre. History Kersal has been variously known as Kereshale, Kershal, Kereshole, Carshall and Kersall.see'Townships: Broughton', A History of the Coun ...

Salford Salford ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Greater Manchester, England, on the western bank of the River Irwell which forms its boundary with Manchester city centre. Landmarks include the former Salford Town Hall, town hall, ...

, 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 " Sixty Eight Guns" and "The Spirit of '76".

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. He was put in touch with

Henry McCullough Henry Campbell Liken McCullough (21 July 1943 – 14 June 2016) was a musician and singer-songwriter from Northern Ireland. He was best known for his work as a member of Spooky Tooth, the Grease Band and Paul McCartney and Wings. He al ...

and the nucleus of The Hard Travelers was formed. The concept of the band's music was intended to bring the songs of

Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer, songwriter, and composer widely considered to be one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American Left, A ...

to a new public. To complete the lineup, Sharp and McCullough brought in

Zoot Money George Bruno "Zoot" Money (17 July 1942 – 8 September 2024) was an English vocalist, keyboardist and bandleader. He was best known for playing the Hammond organ and for his leadership of the Big Roll Band. Inspired by Jerry Lee Lewis and Ra ...

on keyboards; Gary Fletcher on bass; and Colin Allen on drums. Their debut gig was on 22 January 2008, at The Cellars in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

. The following gigs had to be postponed due to various difficulties and their next performance was scheduled for The Black Horse Festival,

Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...

where they headlined on 24 May 2008. Sharp went on to form another lineup for the band, featuring guitarist Scott Poley, Norman Cooke (Drums), Christian Madden (Hammond Organ), and Paul Sudlow (Acoustic Guitar). After only a short time in the studio, the lineup disbanded.

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 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. Sharp currently tours the United Kingdom with regular visits to Scotland and Wales. Sharp has also played regular support slots for The Alarm including the 2017 Viral Black tour.

Discography

;Solo albums * ''Hard Travellin (1991) * ''Downtown America'' (1996)

References

External links

Dave Sharp's website

Hard Travelers website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharp, Dave 1959 births Living people English rock guitarists English new wave musicians The Alarm members Musicians from Salford