| Kevin Sharp | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Kevin Grant Sharp |
| Born | December 10, 1970 |
| Origin | Weiser, Idaho, U.S. |
| Genres | Country |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Labels | Asylum, Cupit |
| Associated acts | Tony Rich |
| Website | Official website |
Kevin Grant Sharp (born December 10, 1970) is an American country music artist, author, and motivational speaker. Sharp made his debut on the country music scene in 1997 with a cover of R&B artist Tony Rich's single "Nobody Knows", a cover which topped the Billboard country charts for four weeks. Sharp's debut album, Measure of a Man, was released the same year, producing additional Top 5 singles in "If You Love Somebody" and "She's Sure Taking It Well." A second album for Elektra/Asylum, entitled Love Is, was released in 1998, but it produced no Top 40 hits. He did not record another album until 2005's Make a Wish, released on the independent Cupit label.
Having survived a rare form of bone cancer in his teenage years, Sharp has also become actively involved in the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He has also written an inspirational book about his experience, and occasionally tours the United States as a motivational speaker, while maintaining his career in country music.
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Kevin Sharp was born in 1970 in Redding, California. When he was seven years old, his family moved to Weiser, Idaho to open a restaurant.[1] Sharp performed in local musicals in high school, and stayed active in music after his family moved back to California in 1985.[1] Starting in 1989, he began to experience dizziness and fatigue. He was later diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer,[2] and given little chance of recovery.[1][3][4] Through the Make-A-Wish Foundation (a foundation which helps grant wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses), Sharp met record producer David Foster, with whom he soon became friends.[4] After two years of chemotherapy and radiation treatment, Sharp's cancer went into remission by the early 1990s, although he permanently lost all of his hair as a result of the radiation treatment.[1][4]
After overcoming his cancer, Sharp worked at an amusement park in Santa Clara, California, while working on a demo tape, which he sent to various talent shows, and later to David Foster.[1] Foster introduced him to A&R representatives, and by 1996, Sharp was signed to Asylum Records. His debut album, Measure of a Man, was released in November 1996. The album's lead-off single, a cover of Tony Rich's "Nobody Knows", spent four weeks at Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.[2][5] He became a spokesperson for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and was awarded the foundation's Wish Granter of the Year Award in 1997;[5] in addition, he was named New Touring Artist of the Year by the Country Music Association, and nominated for Top New Male Vocalist by the Academy of Country Music.[4] In 1998, Sharp collapsed backstage at the TNN Music City News Country Awards, and was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery, due to problems with steel rods in his hip. As a result, he had to cancel several tour dates.[6] Measure of a Man produced two more Top 5 country singles in "She's Sure Taking It Well" and "If You Love Somebody". However, the album's fourth single, "There's Only You", peaked at #43. His second album, Love Is, also failed to produce any successful singles, and Sharp was eventually dropped from Asylum's roster.
Sharp continues to perform as a musician, as well as a motivational speaker. He is also a spokesperson for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. In 2004, he wrote an inspirational book, titled Tragedy's Gift.[4] His third album, Make a Wish, was released on the independent Cupit Records label in 2005, although none of its four singles charted.
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales threshold) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | US Heat | CAN Country | CAN | |||
| Measure of a Man |
|
4 | 40 | 1 | 2 | 79 | |
| Love Is |
|
38 | — | — | — | — | |
| Make a Wish |
|
— | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions[7] |
Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | CAN Country | |||
| 1996 | "Nobody Knows" | 1 | 1 | Measure of a Man |
| 1997 | "She's Sure Taking It Well" | 3 | 4 | |
| "If You Love Somebody" | 4 | 7 | ||
| 1998 | "There's Only You" | 43 | — | |
| "Love Is All That Really Matters" | 51 | 63 | Love Is | |
| "If She Only Knew" | 61 | — | ||
| 2001 | "Beautiful People" | — | — | single only |
| 2005 | "Your Love Reaches Me" | — | — | Make a Wish |
| "I Think I'll Stay" | — | — | ||
| 2006 | "You Are the Reason Why" | — | — | |
| 2007 | "Make a Wish" | — | — | |
| 2011 | "Let Me Rock You to Sleep" | — | — | TBD |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | "Nobody Knows" | Jeffrey Phillips |
| 1997 | "She's Sure Taking It Well" | Norry Niven |
| "There's Only You" | ||
| 1998 | "Love Is All That Really Matters" | |
| 2005 | "I Think I'll Stay" | |
| 2006 | "You Are the Reason Why" |