|
|
|
|
 |
|
Chanteur
Rhythm 'n' Blues US né Edgar Ray Sharpe, le 8 Février 1938 à Fort Worth (Texas).
Fie on
these large-scale music industry conferences: many essential research assistants
get lost at them. At least the heretofore faithful Igor had the sense of mind to
leave the following dispatch on an office answering machine prior to blowing off
like a geyser: "Heard what sounds like the new Jimi Hendrix here at 'South By,'"
his rant started, revealing his natural ability to quickly pick up on the native
jargon. "He has a cute face, has a great personality, but one song that could be
a hit seems to unfortunately be about drugs." Igor proceeded to sign off, not
with his own signature but with the name of the artist he had seen performing, Ray
Sharpe. As is unfortunately the case with research, faulty assumptions had been
made with much less than all the facts in evidence. This artist's youthful
appearance makes him seem like a newcomer circa 2007 but he is not. The
previously mentioned song had already been a hit in 1959. Way back then, a "fatty"
was an obese person, not a drug reference, in this case part of a lyric about a
gal named "Linda Lu."
This big "hootchie mama," as she might have also been called, has a connection
with other illustrious females of song, including the mysterious Phaedra as well
as the b-word who wants to walk all over you with her boots. The link is the
producer of all these sides, Lee
Hazlewood, who before linking with Nancy Sinatra took a liking to Sharpe.
The end of the '50s was a time of popularity for similarly twangy rock
guitarists such as Duane
Eddy, who along with studio pro Al
Casey also picked on the original "Linda Lu." Name-dropping in the Sharpe saga
also includes the actual Jimi Hendrix, involved in a Sharpe session in which
guitar duties were wisely turned his way, as well as saxophonist King Curtis,
producer of said sides. Sharpe's own abilities have led to others comparing him
to Hendrix, that is others besides the missing research assistant whose last
such duly noted "sounds like Hendrix" comment was in reference to the initial
stirrings of a freshly revived ghoul.
The search for such a sound in Sharpe's discography could be frustrating. The
1995 Bear Family collection entitled Linda Lu instead favors twang, tinny at
that, which in terms of meat content parallels the relationship between an
untouched roast and a marrow socket sucked dry. The difference between Sharpe's
recorded and live guitar sound has nothing to do with his amazing versatility,
however, a fact that is evident on recordings where his range of material even
includes a more than competent reading of one of the songs from the Broadway
show My Fair Lady. Sharpe hails from Fort Worth, growing up in an environment
where country & western became as important to him as blues. He has actually
been praised for sounding "white," a reverse of normal racial relations
involving R&B vocal performances. Perhaps this was not an asset after all, since
none of his follow-ups to the song about the chubby gal enjoyed anything near as
appetizing a meal on the hit parade, not even the 1966 sides with Hendrix involved.
"Oh My Baby's Gone" is another of this artist's original songs, the title
expressing a not so surprising development when someone is singing about their
paramour's weight problem, even on a hit. He has remained busy on the Texas
music scene, where reliance on the network of gigs within one's home state is
still no way to avoid long drives. Sharpe pitches in guitar duties on recordings
by younger artists such as Dave Millsap and is sometimes promoted as the leading,
even the only, "black rockabilly artist." Which may explain this latest dispatch
from the missing assistant: "Am on my way to Black Rock. To find black
rockabilly."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Sharpe
Talents : Vocals, Guitar, Songwriter
Style musical : Rockabilly, Rhythm 'n' Blues, Texas Blues
That's The Way I Feel
(1958)
Linda Lu
(1959)
Red Sails In The Sunset
(1959)
Gonna Let It
Go This Time (1960)
Hey, Little Girl!
(1963)
|
|
Years in activity :
| 1910 | 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 | 60 | 70 | 80 | 90 | 2000 | 10 | 20 |
DISCOGRAPHY
Singles
| 09/1958 | SP HAMILTON 45-50002 (US) | . | Ray SHARPE & The BLUES WHALERS - Oh, My
Baby's Gone /
That's The Way I Feel
|
| 06/1959 | SP JAMIE 1128 (US) | . |
Linda Lu
|
| 06/1959 | SP JAMIE 1128 (US) | . | |
| 10/1959 | SP JAMIE 1138 (US) | . |
T. A. Blues / Long John |
| 01/1960 | SP JAMIE 1149 (US) | . |
Gonna Let It Go This Time
|
| 05/1960 | SP JAMIE 1155 (US) | . |
For You My Love /
Red Sails In The Sunset
|
| 08/1960 | SP JAMIE 1164 (US) | . |
Give'n Up / Kewpie Doll |
| 11/1960 | SP TREY 3011 (US) | . |
Justine / The Street Where You Live |
| 01/1963 | SP GREGMARK 14 (US) | . |
(The New) Linda Lu / The Bus Song |
| 1963 | SP GAREX G-203 (US) | . |
Hey, Little Girl!
|
| 07/1963 | SP GAREX 104 (US) | . |
I'm In Misery / The Day You Left Me |
| 02/1965 | SP MONUMENT 45-874 (US) | . |
It's Too Cold / Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go |
| 01/1966 | SP ATCO 45-6402 (US) | . |
Help Me (Get The Feeling) (part 1) / Help Me (Get The Feeling) (part 2) |
| 09/1966 | SP ATCO 45-6437 (US) | . |
I Can't Take It / Mary Jane |
| 1966 | SP ATCO ATCO-26 (F) |
 |
Linda Lu / I Can't Take It |
| 08/1968 | SP LHI 1215 (US) | . |
Linda Lu / Monkey's Uncle |
| 09/1971 | SP A&M 1297 (US) | . |
Another Piece Of The Puzzle (Just Fell In Place) / Dream On, Donna |
| 1977 ? | SP Hi-Oldies 487 (US) | . |
Heavenly Angel (SATELLITES) /
Linda Lu
|
| 1982 ? | SP It Will Stand M-4607 (US) | . |
Mama, Talk To Your Daughter / Boat Dock |
| 1983 | SP Jamie Golden Hits J-908 (US) | . |
Goodnight My Love (Pleasant Dreams) (Jesse
BELVIN) / Linda Lu
|
| 19?? | SP The Wax Museum WAX-4607 (US) | . |
Mama, Talk To Your Daughter / Boat Dock |
| 19?? | SP The Wax Museum WAX-4612 (US) | . |
Boat Dock / My Baby's Gone |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Albums
| 1965 | LP 12" Award LMP-711 (US) |
 |
Welcome Back / Linda Lou - It's Too Cold / Bottoms Up! / Baby Face / Together (We Will Always Be) / Good Night, Irene / No Money Down / Baby, Baby, Baby / Cuttin' In / Haunted House / Cold, Cold Heart / Big Boy Pete / Welcome Back, Linda Lou |
| 1980 | LP 12" Flying High FH 6502 (US) |
 |
Texas Boogie Blues - Boat Dock / In The Wee Wee Hours / Snap Your Fingers / Alva / Don't Start Me To Talkin' / Linda Lu / You're Not The Only One / Talk To Your Daughter / Man Watch Your Woman / Alva's Baby's Blues |
| 1982 | LP 12" Flying High FH 6507 (US) |
 |
Live At The Bluebird - Vol. 1 - Dust My Blues / Caress Me Baby / Every Day / Wee Wee Baby / Chile Con Como / Promised Land / Gotta See My Baby / Going Home Tomorrow / Worried Life Blues / Miss Lavern / Lonely, Lonely Nights / Hideaway |
| 10/1995 | CD Bear Family BCD 15888 (GER) |
 |
LINDA LU - Linda Lu / Monkey's Uncle / Oh My Baby's Gone / That's The Way I Feel / Kewpie Doll / Red Sails In The Sunset / Silly Dilly Milly / The Bus Song / T.A. Blues [without overdubs] / Long John [without overdubs] / Gonna Let It Go This Time / Bermuda / Give'n Up / For You My Love / Justine / On The Street Where You Live [master] / There'll Come A Day / Dallas (For You My Love) / So Sorry / Hey Little Girl / Thank You So Much / The New Linda Lu / T.A. Blues [master] / Long John [master] / Kewpie Doll [take 20] / On The Street Where You Live [full length version] / Red Sails In The Sunset [overdub, take 1] |
| 02/2011 | CD HOODOO 263381 (EUR) |
 |
Gonna Let It Go This Time - Long John / Monkey's Uncle / Gonna Let It Go This Time / That's The Way I Feel / Kewpie Doll / Justine / There'll Come A Day / Linda Lu / Red Sails In The Sunset / Silly Dilly Millie / T.A. Blues / Given'up / For You My Love / Oh My Babe's Gone / Bernuda / Kwepie Doll [alternate take] / Dallas / Long John [alternate take] / T.A. Blues [alternate take] / On The Street Where You Live |
| 03/2018 | LP 10" Minigroove LP 105 (F) |
 |
Monkey's Uncle - Monkey's Uncle / Oh My Baby's Gone / The Bus Song / Silly Dilly Millie / Gonna Let It Go This Time / Kewpie Doll / Linda Lu / That's The Way I Feel / Give 'n Up / Long John / T.A. Blues / Justine |
| ???? | LP 12" Jumble JLP 331959 (US) |
 |
RAY SHARPE - Linda Lou / Kewpie Doll / That's The Way I Feel / Long John / Help Me / Mary Jane / Have Love Will Travel / T.A. Blues / Give'n Up / Oh My Baby's Gone / Red Sails In The Sunset / Monkey's Uncle / I Can't Take It / Look At Me |
© Rocky Productions 6/10/2019
