Dave Alexander (blues musician)

"Omar Shariff" redirects here. For the Egyptian actor, see Omar Sharif. For the cricketer, see Omar Sharif (cricketer).
Dave Alexander

A photograph of musician Dave Alexander looking towards the audience.

Dave Alexander performing at the 2007 San Francisco Blues Festival. Photo by Mike Shea
Background information
Birth name David Alexander Elam
Also known as Omar Sharriff
Omar Hakim Khayam
Omar the Magnificent
Born March 10, 1938
Shreveport, Louisiana, United States
Died January 8, 2012 (aged 73)
Marshall, Texas, United States
Genres Texas blues,[1] jazz
Occupation(s) Singer, pianist
Instruments Piano
Years active 1960s–2012
Labels Arhoolie, Have Mercy Records
Website Omar Shariff and Friends

Dave Alexander (born David Alexander Elam) aka Omar Sharriff, Omar Shariff, Omar Hakim Khayam (March 10, 1938 – January 8, 2012) was an American Texas blues singer and pianist.[1]

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 played at the San Francisco Blues Festival, many times from 1973 onward. He was also the warm up act at the Last Waltz at Winterland, Thanksgiving 1974. He 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]

In 1976, he began to perform as Omar the Magnificent having changed his name to Omar Khayam.[4]

He was nominated for a W. C. Handy Award in 1993.[5]

In 1993 small blues label Have Mercy! released Black Widow Spider, followed it up with hit Baddass in 1995, and Anatomy of a Woman in 1998.

In the 2000s Alexander lived and performed mostly in the Sacramento area, where he recorded on Have Mercy! Records. He was an articulate writer and advocate for the blues and African American music.[6] He wrote several articles for the Living Blues magazine.[7]

On Martin Luther King Day 2011, NPR Radio All Things Considered broadcast a segment about Marshall, Texas being the birthplace of the boogie-woogie style of piano. The broadcast described how Dr. John Tennison, a San Antonio-based boogie-woogie musicologist, had shared his knowledge of the history of boogie-woogie with the citizens of Marshall, and how Tennison had located Alexander in Sacramento, California. Alexander performed in Marshall during December 2010, to great acclaim.[8] In February 2011, Alexander relocated to Marshall, Texas, where he lived until his death.

Death

On January 8, 2012, Alexander was found dead of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound at his home in Marshall, Texas. He was 73 years old.[9][10]

Discography

Year Title Genre Label Recorded name
1972 The Rattler Blues Arhoolie Dave Alexander
1972 The Raven Blues, Jazz Arhoolie Omar Shariff; CD 1993
1973 The Dirt on the Ground Blues Arhoolie Dave Alexander
1993 Black Widow Spider Blues Have Mercy! Omar Sharriff
1995 Baddass Blues Have Mercy! Omar Sharriff
1997 Omar the Magnificent Blues Arhoolie Omar Shariff
1998 Anatomy of a Woman Blues Have Mercy! Omar Sharriff

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Du Noyer, Paul (2003). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music (1st ed.). Fulham, London: Flame Tree Publishing. p. 181. ISBN 1-904041-96-5.
  2. ↑ Vladimir, Bogdanov. All Music Guide to the Blues: The Definitive Guide to the Blues, Backbeat Books, page 502 (2003) – ISBN 0-87930-736-6.
  3. ↑ "Blogger: Aanmelden". Birdswithbrokenwings.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  4. ↑ Komara, Edward (ed.) (2006), Encyclopedia of the Blues, Routledge.
  5. ↑ Allmusic biography for Omar Sharriff
  6. ↑ Allmusic biography for Dave Alexander
  7. ↑ "Welcome to Living Blues Magazine Online". Livingblues.com. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  8. ↑
  9. ↑ Stanley, James (2012-01-08). "Legendary ArkLaTex musician found dead Sunday". KSLA News 12. Archived from the original on 2012-01-09. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  10. ↑ "Boogie Woogie Icon Dies". KTBS 3 News. 2012-01-09. Archived from the original on 2012-01-29. Retrieved 2012-01-29.

External links