Kevin Sharp

Kevin Sharp first gained attention within country music circles, yet his output carries a strongly commercial sensibility that lends itself to multiple styles, thanks to dance-driven arrangements, a pronounced focus on ballads, and his reinterpretation of the Tony Rich Project’s “Nobody Knows.”

Born in 1970 in rural northern California, Sharp made his initial stage appearance at age three, performing in church alongside his musical parents and seven siblings. When he turned seven the household relocated to Weiser, ID—the site of the National Fiddle Festival—to open a restaurant. Frequent exposure to the fiddlers who gathered annually for the event shaped his musical outlook; while attending high school he also took part in local musicals and choral ensembles. The family returned to California in 1985, but Sharp maintained his involvement by joining choral groups and a Sacramento light opera company and by distinguishing himself in athletics. He harbored ambitions of earning a college football scholarship until 1989, when recurring bouts of fatigue and dizziness began. Physicians identified bone cancer and offered little prospect of recovery. Intensive radiation sessions left him permanently bald and further dimmed his outlook. With encouragement from the Make-A-Wish Foundation, he requested a meeting with Los Angeles producer and songwriter David Foster, whom he had long admired; the two formed an immediate bond and became close friends.

By 1993, after prolonged treatment, Sharp had overcome the illness. He took a position at the Great America theme park in Santa Clara and simultaneously submitted demo recordings to assorted talent competitions. Retaining David Foster’s contact information, he reached out once more and forwarded new material. Initially reluctant to extend an opportunity born of sympathy, Foster reversed course after hearing a single track. Sharp was then connected with multiple country A&R executives, recorded an additional demo, and secured a contract with Elektra/Asylum in 1995. His first solo album, Measure of a Man, appeared in November 1996 and reached the Top 20 on the country charts. Love Is arrived two years later.