Deke Sharon | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Kurk Richard Toohey, Jr. |
Born | December 12, 1967 |
Origin | San Francisco, California, USA |
Genres | A Cappella |
Occupation(s) |
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Instrument(s) |
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Years active | 1991–present |
Labels |
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Website | Official website |
Deke Sharon (born December 12, 1967) is an American singer, arranger, composer, director, producer, pioneer,[1][2][3] and teacher of a cappella music, and is one of the leaders and promoters of the contemporary a cappella community.[4][5][6][7][8][9] He has been referred to as "the father of contemporary a cappella" by some authors,[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] and "the godfather of a cappella" by others.[18][19][20][21][22][23]
Deke Sharon was born and raised in San Francisco.[24] He started singing in choir groups at age five,[25] including the San Francisco Boys Chorus.[26][27] He attended Town School for Boys and San Francisco University High School,[28][29] where he sang lead (second tenor) in the barbershop quartet his freshman year in "The Music Man,"[30] and kept it going all four years, learning to direct and arrange a cappella.[31]
Sharon spent his college years in Boston, graduating from Tufts University with a Bachelor of Arts in childhood studies,[32] and a Bachelor of Music from the New England Conservatory of Music[33] with a focus on vocal jazz, third stream (now called "contemporary improvisation"), and music theory.[34]
In college, he directed the collegiate a cappella group the Tufts Beelzebubs,[35][36] transforming the group's sound to reflect modern rock,[37] with intricate instrumental vocalizations[38][39] and the integration of vocal percussion.[40][41] The 1990–1991 Beelzebubs album Foster Street that he directed musically is credited with the creation of contemporary a cappella sound.[42] Sharon had to audition three times before he was accepted, as he was seen as "overzealous" during a time when a cappella was not popular, a fact which was mentioned in the book "Pitch Perfect."[43][44] Beca and Benji in the Pitch Perfect films are partially based on Sharon.[45] During this time, he decided to make a career of contemporary a cappella.[46][47][48]
Sharon was the music director[49][50] and arranger[51] for the film Pitch Perfect,[11][52][53][54] as well as singing on several of the songs, where he was credited on screen as "Male Voice #1."[55] He returned for Pitch Perfect 2,[56] in which he has a brief cameo as the German judge and broadcaster.[57][58][59] He helped involve several professional a cappella groups and singers with the film, including The Filharmonic,[60] Penn Masala, and Pentatonix. Sharon also worked with the Green Bay Packers.[61][62] He returned to music-direct, arrange, and vocally produce for Pitch Perfect 3.[63] He had also arranged for the film, The Social Network.[64]
In December 2009, he acted as music director, arranger, coach, and consultant behind the scenes on America's first a cappella reality show competition, titled The Sing-Off,[65] and returned in 2010 as one of the show's producers.[66] He also served as Executive Music Producer on the Dutch Sing Off,[67] Sing Off South Africa[68] and Sing-Off China, including several guest appearances as a judge and performer.[69]
Along with The House Jacks, he sang and performed the 2011 Monday Night Football theme song "Are You Ready for Some Football" with Hank Williams, Jr.[70]
He worked with Straight No Chaser on their first PBS special Live in New York.[71]
He appeared in front of the camera for the first time on Lifetime's Pitch Slapped reality show, in which he coached after school high school a cappella group Stay Tuned from Cherry Hill, New Jersey,[63][72] focusing both on their musicality and emotional delivery.[73] The show also aired overseas in London,[74] Israel (where its name in Hebrew means "a cappella battle")[75] across Latin America, Indonesia and the Philippines (under the name Pitch Battle).[76]
As of summer 2017 he is series music director for a new competitive choir show on BBC1 called Pitch Battle,[77] as well as appearing on camera each episode providing insight and commentary.[78][79] He was also the third judge for the season one live finale.[80]
He judged Eurovision Choir 2019.[81] In 2022 music directed "Best in Snow" for Disney+ as well as co-arranged/vocal produced the a cappella scenes in Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin.[82]
Upon graduation in 1991, he moved back to San Francisco, bringing with him a handful of other collegiate a cappella singers to form The House Jacks,[83] a pioneering a cappella group[84] known for its original music and sound,[85] often called "the original rock band without instruments",[86] in part because they were the first a cappella group with a designated vocal percussionist.[87]
The House Jacks have released seven albums (signed to Warner Brothers/Tommy Boy Records in the mid-1990s)[88] and completed several world tours.[89] He has performed with many musicians, including Ray Charles, Crosby, Stills and Nash, LL Cool J, Run DMC, The Temptations, and James Brown.[90][91][92] They have won "Best Pop Rock Album" from the Contemporary A Cappella Society, for "Unbroken" (2004), "Level" (2010), and "Pollen (2014).[93]
He also performs as a solo artist, with groups such as the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus[94] and at events like Singapore's "Vocal Edge"[95] and directing DCINY's annual "Total Vocal" at Carnegie Hall[96][97][98] as well as serving as Emcee for a cappella events, such as the annual Techapella concerts in the San Francisco Bay Area.[99]
Studio session credits include the Wii game Just Dance Kids 2 including the songs "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", "Barbara Ann", and "Mahna Mahna".[100]
A prolific, award-winning[101][102] vocal music arranger, he has arranged more than 2,000 songs[103] for a wide range of ensembles, including some of vocal music's best-known groups.[104] The Best Arrangement award at the Colorado Harmony Sweepstakes is named after him,[105] and he has won the best arrangement award at the Harmony Sweepstakes several times since 1991.[106] He was named "favorite arranger" in the 2010 A Cappella Community Awards[107] and won "Best Professional Arrangement" in 2019.[108]
He founded and directed a cappella groups at Walt Disney World/Epcot (American Vybe) and Disneyland (Groove 66).[109] In 2013, he created a new professional a cappella ensemble in New Mexico: "Voasis".[110][111][112] In 2014 and 2015 he music-directed the Sing Off Live tour[113][114] He created Vocalosity for which he was artistic producer, music director,[115] and arranger.[40] They started touring in 2016[116] and their debut album was released on Universal Classics.[115]
In December 2017 he announced the formation of DCappella, a seven-member contemporary a cappella group launched in 2018 that will tour performing arts centers singing music from classic and contemporary Disney films.[117] He serves as the group's co-creator, music director, arranger, album producer and artistic producer [118][119][120] integrating modern sounds and technology.[121]
His production with Columbia Artists Management, "A Cappella Live," toured the US featuring four a cappella acts: Committed (vocal group), The Filharmonic, Women of the World, and Blake Lewis.[122][123][124]
As a producer of a cappella recordings,[125] he is known for having changed the sound of collegiate a cappella recording via the Beelzebubs' album Code Red. He has arranged and produced multiple albums and tracks for Atlantic Records' Straight No Chaser,[126] including the certified gold "Christmas Cheers".[127][128][129]
In the early 1990s, he co-founded The Best of College A Cappella (BOCA) compilation,[130] which he now produces annually with Varsity Vocals.
In college, he brought the Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival to the East Coast, producing the first Boston regional with the Beelzebubs.[131] Shortly after college he founded the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA),[132][133] the West and East Coast A Cappella Summits (the first contemporary a cappella conferences), and a number of other a cappella-related projects, programs, and events[134] with the goal of popularizing a cappella.[135] Recent festivals include Aca-West in San Francisco, VoiceJam in Arkansas, Solevoci in Italy, Vocal Asia (in Japan, China, and Taiwan),[136] [137][138] Aarhus Vocal Festival in Denmark, and Croappella in Croatia [139][140][141][142][143][144] where he often hosts the evening concert or competition as well as teach during the day.[145]
He is a frequent host and emcee at a cappella events, such as Silicon Valley's "Techapella",[146][147] The National A Cappella Convention,[148] The annual College Notes event in Walnut Creek CA,[149] "Pacific Harmony" in New Zealand,[150] AKA A Cappella in Singapore,[151] and the Maui Barbershop Festival.[152] Some of the videos he has posted to promote a cappella groups around the world have gone viral.[153][154] He's also frequently in residency or headlining events at universities such as Indiana U, Midland U and Tufts U [155][156] and judged the 2021 World Choir Games in Antwerp.[157]
He's also active in the choral world, presenting at choral festivals, such as the World Symposium on Choral Music [158] GALA Choruses[159] and Chorus America,[160] as well as the Barbershop community with the Barbershop Harmony Society[161] and Sweet Adelines International[162][163][164][165]
His work to popularize and promote a cappella worldwide is now being recognized by major media: "A Capella [sic] is more popular than ever, thanks to this guy" (NPR Here and Now),[166] "Deke Sharon makes a cappella cool again" (NPR All Things Considered).[13]
In his college dorm he founded The Contemporary A Cappella Society[167][168][169][170][171] and The Ultimate A Cappella Arranging Service (which became TotalVocal). Shortly after graduation, he created the Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards ("CARAs"), a cappella's equivalent of the Grammy Awards.[67]
He formed the Contemporary A Cappella League,[172] a new national network of adult "post-collegiate" a cappella groups.[173]
Biographical Information about Deke Sharon can be found in Mickey Rapkin's Pitch Perfect (2008), Rick Smolan's 24 Hours in Cyberspace (1996), Joshua Duchan's Powerful Voices (2012), Alysia Abbott's Fairyland (2013)[180] and Carsten Gerlitz's Popchor (2018) [181]
The pioneering,[182] first all-a cappella musical on Broadway, In Transit,[183] for which he is co-producer and arranged all the music,[184] opened at the Circle in the Square Theater on Broadway in December 2016.[185] He started working with the production just after their off-Broadway run five years earlier.[186]
Vocalosity, a live a cappella theatrical concert production with diverse cast,[187] began touring in January 2016 and has performed in 30 states.[188][189][190]
He has worked on a cappella musical theatre projects including "Street" and "Our World".[191]
He arranged the opening number for Andrew Lloyd Webber's new greatest hits musical "Unmasked",[192] a fast-paced mashup of 17 of his greatest hits.
He co-founded and directs Camp Acappella for teens and adults each summer[193][194] at Wright State University[195] in Dayton, Ohio[196] and teaches the music production class Soup To Nuts periodically.[197] as well as travels to other countries to work with groups in person, such as New Zealand,[198] Brazil, Italy,[199] Sri Lanka and Singapore.[200]
His YouTube channel features a variety of educational topics including how to sound like several different instruments. A GE special features him discussing the physics of a cappella.[201]
In 2016, he joined the California branch of the American Choral Directors Association as the first ever Contemporary A Cappella R&R chair.[202] and co-created Acappella.how for google [203] His Camp A Cappella Intensive in Washington DC started in 2022, a partnership with Ben Folds, Planet Word, and the National Symphony Orchestra.[204]
The Pitch Perfect soundtrack earned several awards, including an RIAA platinum record certification, the American Music Award for best soundtrack,[205] an Online Film and Television Association nomination for Best Music, Adapted Song (Don't You Forget About Me)[206] and an MTV Video Music Award for "Best Musical Moment".[207][better source needed]
The Pitch Perfect 2 soundtrack, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200,[208] secured the American Music Award for best Soundtrack[209] and a Grammy nomination for Best Soundtrack.[210]
As album producer, he was nominated for a Dove Award in 2012 (Best Contemporary Gospel Album: Committed).[211]
In 2016, he became an honorary member of the Barbershop Harmony Society, one of only twenty since 1938,[212] and he was named an honorary member of BYU Vocal Point.[213] In 2017 he was awarded the P.T. Barnum Award for excellence in Entertainment from his alma mater, Tufts University.[214]
He has received two lifetime achievement awards for his work in a cappella: in 2016 for the 25th anniversary of his founding of thee Contemporary A Cappella Society[215] and in 2018, from the A Cappella Music Awards.[216]
He is known for his ability to replicate a variety of instruments (e.g. trumpet,[217] guitar, flute, violin, muted trumpet, harmonica) with his voice—which he teaches online[218] and via "Singing Instruments" seminars[219]—teaching summer camp for young vocalists,[220] and adjudicating choral festivals around the world.[221] He has worked with many professional pop vocal groups, including 98 Degrees, The Nylons and Boyz II Men.[222]
Helping groups get started has been a ongoing goal of his for 30 years, which he does by providing free advice, support [223] and arrangements.[224][225] He also works with organizations philanthropically who support vocal harmony.[226][227]
He served on the CASA board for almost twenty years, often as President or Vice President.[228] Acapellablog named him the number-one "a cappella power player to keep an eye on in 2012",[229] and NPR credits him for "making a cappella cool again".[13]
In 2016 he launched an a cappella podcast called "Counterpoint" with co-host Robert Dietz [230] and has appeared on other podcasts.[231][232][233][234][235][236]
To help promote Good Omens, he arranged several songs for "The Chattering Order of St Beryl," a group of singing nuns.,[237][238] and co-created Walmart's "Sparkappella."[239][240]
When the cult NXIVM tried to use a cappella as a recruiting device, he drew out Keith Raniere in a public forum,[241][242][243] resulting in his being put on their list of enemies.[244][245]
He has been featured repeatedly in Kiplinger's Personal Finance for socially responsible investing.[246]
He describes his life's work is "to get more people singing"[247] because "music can build a better community"[248] as "our country needs to understand the importance of working together".[249] His motto is "Harmony through harmony."[250]
Title | Year | Category | ISBN |
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A Cappella Arranging | 2012 | Non fiction | ISBN 1458416577 |
A Cappella | 2015 | Non fiction | ISBN 147061667X |
The Heart of Vocal Harmony: Emotional Expression in Group Singing | 2016 | Non fiction | ISBN 1495057836 |
A Cappella Warmups for Pop and Jazz Choirs | 2017 | Non fiction | ISBN 0793595290 |
So You Want To Sing A Cappella: A Guide For Performers | 2017 | Non fiction | ISBN 153810587X |
Teaching Music Through Performance in Contemporary A Cappella | 2020 | Non fiction | ISBN 9781622774876 |
Title | Year | Category | ISBN |
---|---|---|---|
Contemporary A Cappella Songbook Vol 1 | 1996 | Song book | ISBN 0793595290 |
Contemporary A Cappella Songbook Vol 2 | 1997 | Song book | ISBN 0793595282 |
A CASA Christmas | 1998 | Song book | ISBN 0793595274 |
Songs For All Occasions | 1999 | Song book | ISBN 0634011707 |
I Feel Good: A Contemporary A Cappella Collection | 2000 | Song book | ISBN 0634025600 |
Natural Woman | 2001 | Song book | ISBN 0634033611 |
Shout | 2002 | Song book | ISBN 0634055127 |
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun | 2003 | Song book | ISBN 0634084224 |
Good Ol A Cappella Vol 1 | 2003 | Song book | ISBN 0634055275 |
ShBoom: Contemporary A Cappella Songbook | 2003 | Song book | ISBN 0634055283 |
A Cappella Jazz Broadway | 2004 | Song book | ISBN 0634097776 |
A Cappella Jazz Classics | 2004 | Song book | ISBN 0634084232 |
Respect | 2004 | Song book | ISBN 0634084240 |
Deck The Hall | 2006 | Song book | ISBN 0634084216 |
Ya Gotta Be | 2007 | Song book | ISBN 1423412397 |
Love Songs A Cappella | 2010 | Song book | ISBN 0634055240 |
DCappella Tour Songbook | 2019 | Song book | ISBN 9781540041791 |
Album | Year(s) | Role |
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Fourteen – Tufts Beelzebubs | 1989 | Music Director, Arranger, Vocalist, Producer |
Beelzebub Winter Invitational – Tufts Beelzebubs | 1990 | Arranger, Vocalist, Producer |
Foster Street – Tufts Beelzebubs | 1991 | Music Director, Arranger, Vocalist, Producer |
Sing Naked – House Jacks | 1991 | Music Director, Arranger, Vocalist, Producer |
Naked Noise – House Jacks | 1994 | Music Director, Arranger, Vocalist, Producer |
Best of College A Cappella | 1995–present | Producer |
Urban Harmony: R&B A Cappella | 1996 | Producer |
Funkwich – House Jacks | 1997 | Music Director, Arranger, Vocalist, Producer |
A Cappella All-Stars: The CARAs | 1997–2000 | Producer |
Harmony Sweepstakes | 1997–1998 | Producer |
Voices Only: A Cappella Originals | 1997 | Producer |
Yearbook: Live from Spring Thing | 1997–1998 | Producer |
Best of High School A Cappella | 1998–present | Producer |
Naked Funk – House Jacks | 1999 | Music Director, Arranger, Vocalist, Producer |
Wasting Our Parents' Money: BOCA Humor | 1999 | Producer |
Drive – House Jacks | 2001 | Music Director, Arranger, Vocalist, Producer |
Next – Tufts Beelzebubs | 2001 | Arranger, Producer |
Disney's American Vybe – American Vybe | 2001 | Music Director, Arranger |
Punch – Various | 2002 | Music Director, Arranger, Vocalist, Producer |
Embodiment – BaSix (Denmark) | 2002 | Producer |
Only In America – Peking and the Mystics | 2002 | Producer |
Code Red – Tufts Beelzebubs | 2003 | Arranger, Producer |
Unbroken – House Jacks | 2004 | Music Director, Arranger, Vocalist, Producer |
Fitchy & Grikko – House Jacks | 2005 | Music Director, Arranger, Vocalist, Producer |
Udder Won – Moosebutter | 2005 | Vocalist, Producer |
Unleash the Periscope – Colorado College Back Row | 2006 | Producer |
Get Down Mr. President – House Jacks | 2007 | Music Director, Arranger, Vocalist, Producer |
Good Things – House Jacks | 2009 | Music Director, Arranger, Vocalist, Producer |
Christmas Cheers – Straight No Chaser | 2009 | Arranger, Producer |
The Sing-Off tracks – US Sing-Off Cast, Season 1–5 | 2009–2014 | Arranger, Music Director, Producer |
Go Nuts – Colorado College Back Row | 2010 | Producer |
With A Twist – Straight No Chaser | 2010 | Arranger, Producer |
Level – House Jacks | 2010 | Music Director, Arranger, Vocalist, Producer |
Nota – Nota | 2010 | Arranger, Producer |
Harmonies for the Holidays – Sing-Off Cast, Season Two | 2010 | Arranger, Producer |
Best of The Sing-Off Season Two – Sing-Off Cast | 2011 | Arranger, Music Director, Producer |
Committed – Committed | 2011 | Arranger, Producer |
Songs of the Season – Sing-Off Cast, Season Three | 2011 | Arranger, Producer |
Pitch Perfect Soundtrack – Pitch Perfect cast | 2012 | Arranger, Music Director, Vocalist, Producer |
Act Accordingly – Gentlemen's Rule | 2012 | Arranger, Producer |
Life's So Lyrical – Forte | 2012 | Arranger, Producer |
Blackjack – The House Jacks | 2012 | Arranger, Music Director, Vocalist, Producer |
Southern Autumn Nostalgia – Street Corner Symphony | 2013 | Arranger, Producer |
Pollen – The House Jacks | 2014 | Arranger, Music Director, Vocalist, Producer |
Best of BOCA | 2014 | Producer |
Pitch Perfect 2 Soundtrack – Pitch Perfect Cast | 2015 | Arranger, Music Director, Vocalist, Producer |
Pitch Slapped Live Performances – Stay Tuned | 2016 | Arranger, Music Director, Producer |
Vocalosity – Vocalosity | 2016 | Arranger, Music Director, Vocalist, Producer |
Straight No Chaser – I'll Have Another | 2016 | Arranger, Producer ("Run Run Rudolph") |
In Transit – Original Broadway Cast | 2017 | Arranger, Producer |
Pitch Perfect 3 Soundtrack – Cast | 2017 | Arranger, Music Director, Producer |
Incredibles 2 Soundtrack – D Cappella | 2018 | Arranger, Music Director, Producer |
Full Rally – Tufts Beelzebubs | 2018 | Arranger, Producer |
D Cappella – D Cappella | 2018 | Arranger, Music Director, Producer |
Unholy Night – Chattering Order of St Beryl (Good Omens) | 2019 | Arranger, Coach/consultant |
D Cappella Japanese album – D Cappella | 2019 | Arranger, Music Director, Producer |
SparkAppella - SparkAppella | 2019 | Arranger, Music Director, Producer |
Rockin Holiday – D Cappella | 2019 | Arranger, Music Director, Producer |
All Ears – D Cappella | 2020 | Arranger, Music Director, Producer |
Holiday A Cappella – D Cappella | 2021 | Arranger, Music Director, Producer |
Magic Reimagined – D Cappella | 2022 | Arranger, Music Director, Producer |
Home For The Holidays – D Cappella | 2022 | Arranger, Music Director, Producer |
Pitch Perfect: Bumper In Berlin – Soundtrack | 2022 | Arranger, Music Director, Producer |