Dave Alexander (blues musician)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dave Alexander | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Born | March 10, 1938 |
| Genre(s) | Blues, Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, Pianist |
| Instrument(s) | Piano |
| Years active | 1960s — Present |
| Label(s) | Arhoolie, Have Mercy |
| Website | Omar Shariff and Friends |
Dave Alexander aka Omar Sharriff, Omar Hakim Khayam (born March 10, 1938, Shreveport, Louisiana[1]) is an American blues singer, and pianist.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Born in Shreveport, Louisiana in 1938, Alexander grew up in Marshall, Texas. His father was a pianist and his mother encouraged him to play in the church. Alexander joined the United States Navy in 1955, moved to Oakland, California in 1957, and began a long history of working with various San Francisco Bay Area musicians. A self-taught pianist, he played with Big Mama Thornton, Jimmy Witherspoon, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, and Albert Collins. Later in 1968, he recorded his first songs for the World Pacific label release called Oakland Blues, a compilation album of artists from that city. He also performed at the Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival in 1970, and has played at the San Francisco Blues Festival, many times since 1973. He has also performed in Europe.
Alexander recorded a pair of albums The Rattler (1972) and The Dirt on the Ground (1973), for the Arhoolie label under his given name Dave Alexander.[2] Songs include "The Hoodoo Man (The Voodoo Woman & The Witch Doctor)", "St. James Infirmary", "Blue Tumbleweed", "Sundown", "Sufferin' With The Lowdown Blues", "Strange Woman", "Cold Feelin", "Jimmy, Is That You?", "So You Wanna Be A Man" and "The Dirt On The Ground".[3]
He was nominated for a W.C. Handy Award in 1993.[4]
In 1996 small blues label Have Mercy released Baddass, and followed it up with the hit Black Widow Spider in 2000.
In recent years Alexander has been living and performing mostly in the Sacramento area, where he has recorded on Have Mercy Records. Alexander is an articulate writer and advocate for the blues and African American music.[1] He has written several articles for the Living Blues magazine.[5]
[edit] Discography
| Year | Title | Genre | Label | Recorded Name | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Black Widow Spider | Blues | Have Mercy | Omar Shariff | |
| 1998 | Anatomy of a Woman | Blues | Have Mercy | Omar Shariff | |
| 1997 | Omar the Magnificent | Blues | Arhoolie | Omar Shariff | |
| 1996 | Baddass | Blues | Have Mercy | Omar Shariff | |
| 1973 | The Dirt on the Ground | Blues | Arhoolie | Dave Alexander | |
| 1972 | The Raven | Blues, Jazz | Arhoolie | Omar Shariff; CD 1993 | |
| 1972 | The Rattler | Blues | Arhoolie | Dave Alexander |
[edit] References
- ^ a b All Music Guide biography for Dave Alexander
- ^ Vladimir, Bogdanov. All Music Guide to the Blues: The Definitive Guide to the Blues, Backbeat Books, page 502, (2003) - ISBN 0879307366
- ^ The Dirt On The Ground (Dave Alexander)
- ^ All Music Guide biography for Omar Sharriff
- ^ Living Blues magazine
