Dee Sharp
Encyclopedia
Derrick Trought better known as Dee Sharp, is a British
lovers rock
singer who began his recording career in 1980, also joining Buzzz as lead singer for a time.
, and topped the reggae charts in the UK. He followed this with "Swing and Dine"/"Follow Your Heart", which was also successful, and Sharp became established as one of the leading artists of the British lovers rock scene.
In 1981 he joined the Brit funk
group Buzzz as lead singer, the band signing to RCA Records
and appearing on the BBC
television show Ebony. The group were moderately successful and Sharp was the cover star for the 31 July 1982 issue of Melody Maker
. Sharp left the band in 1982 and resumed his solo career, having further local reggae hits in 1983 with "Rising to the Top" and "Give It All You've Got".
In 1984 he contributed a rap to Nick Heyward
's song "Warning Sign", performing with Heyward on Top of the Pops
.
He continued to record and perform both reggae and soul
into the 1990s.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
lovers rock
Lovers rock
Lovers rock is a style of reggae music noted for its romantic sound and content. While love songs had been an important part of reggae since the late 1960s, the style was given a greater focus and a name in London in the mid 1970s.-History:...
singer who began his recording career in 1980, also joining Buzzz as lead singer for a time.
Biography
Sharp's debut single, a version of Leo Hall's "Let's Dub It Up", released in 1980, was the first release by Fashion RecordsFashion Records
Fashion Records is a UK-based record label publishing reggae music.Founded in summer 1980, Fashion Records is one of the more successful UK-based reggae labels , and one of only a very few British reggae labels to release records that were produced in their own recording studio.The label was the...
, and topped the reggae charts in the UK. He followed this with "Swing and Dine"/"Follow Your Heart", which was also successful, and Sharp became established as one of the leading artists of the British lovers rock scene.
In 1981 he joined the Brit funk
Brit funk
Brit funk is a musical style that has its origins in the British music scene of the late 1970s-80s. It mixes elements from funk and soul music with original jazz-funk and Caribbean overtones....
group Buzzz as lead singer, the band signing to RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
and appearing on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television show Ebony. The group were moderately successful and Sharp was the cover star for the 31 July 1982 issue of Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
. Sharp left the band in 1982 and resumed his solo career, having further local reggae hits in 1983 with "Rising to the Top" and "Give It All You've Got".
In 1984 he contributed a rap to Nick Heyward
Nick Heyward
Nick Heyward is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for being the frontman of the early 1980s band Haircut One Hundred, and also had a briefly successful solo career after he left the band in 1983.-Haircut One Hundred:Nick Heyward formed Haircut One Hundred after the...
's song "Warning Sign", performing with Heyward on Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
.
He continued to record and perform both reggae and soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
into the 1990s.
Singles
- "Let's Dub It Up" (1980), FashionFashion RecordsFashion Records is a UK-based record label publishing reggae music.Founded in summer 1980, Fashion Records is one of the more successful UK-based reggae labels , and one of only a very few British reggae labels to release records that were produced in their own recording studio.The label was the...
- "Swing and Dine"/"Follow Your Heart" (1980), Fashion
- "Magician" (1983), RCARCA RecordsRCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
- "Take Your Time"
- "Straighten Up and Fly Right" (1983), RCA
- "Rising to the Top" (1983), Fashion
- "Give It All You've Got" (1983)
- "Moon Dance" (1987), Syncopate