| Colin Sharp | |
|---|---|
| Born | Colin Ainsley Sharp September 5, 1953 Great Britain |
| Died | September 7, 2009 (aged 56) Newcastle, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Actor, educator and singer |
| Known for | Singer of The Durutti Column College educator in Newcastle |
Colin Ainsley Sharp[1] (5 September 1953 – 7 September 2009) was a musician and writer from England,[2] who was part of the Manchester music scene of the late 1970s and dedicated to arts in Newcastle.
In the late 1970s, he joined post-punk band The Durutti Column as singer during the last months of 1978, replacing original vocalist Phil Rainford. The band featured Vini Reilly and Dave Rowbotham as guitarists and future Simply Red members Tony Bowers on bass and Chris Joyce on drums. With him, the band continued to play live performances and recorded two songs, "No Communication" and "Thin Ice (Detail)", for the A Factory Sample EP (a various artist compilation which featured also other artists from Factory Records (label who signed the band): Joy Division, Cabaret Voltaire and John Dowie). Shortly afterwards, only Vini Reilly remained in the band.
In 1978, by the time he joined and left The Durutti Column, he formed a glam punk band, The Roaring 80s, who were active until their split in 1981, opening shows for Magazine, Joy Division and others.[3] In 1983, he founded in Newcastle, a rock band called SF Jive, who lasted until 1990, and whom he was vocalist and percussionist.[4] In 1988 he formed a experimental music trio called Glow, but they were active only one year.[5][1]
In 2006, he reappeared in the post-punk scene, when his collaboration with American band Vernian Process was released within the band's second album The Forgotten Age, the song "Where Are The Young Men?", which Sharp composed in memory of his late friends who were part of the new wave scene, like Ian Curtis, Martin Hannett, Billy Mackenzie, Adrian Borland, and others.[6][7]
In 2007, he published his book Who Killed Martin Hannett?: The History of Factory Records, a biography of his close friend, the producer Martin Hannett.[8]
He taught drama at Tyne Metropolitan College until July 2008. Colin Sharp died after suffering a brain haemorrhage, on 7 September 2009.