Deke Sharon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
December 12, 1967
Deke Sharon | |
|---|---|
 On stage with the House Jacks, 2006 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Deke Robertson |
| Born | Kurk Richard Toohey, Jr. December 12, 1967 San Francisco |
| Origin | San Francisco, California, USA |
| Genres | A Cappella |
| Occupations |
|
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Labels |
|
| Publishers | Contemporary A Cappella Publishing, Hal Leonard, University of Northern Colorado jazz press, Barbershop Harmony Society, The Globe Pequot Publishing Group, GIA Publications, Bloomsbury Publishing, Rowman & Littlefield |
| Formerly of | |
| Website | Official website |
Deke Sharon (born December 12, 1967) is an American singer, arranger, composer, director, producer, author, coach, and teacher of a cappella music.[1][2]
College
Deke Sharon was born and raised in San Francisco.[3] He started singing in choir groups at age five,[4] including the San Francisco Boys Chorus[5][6] where he toured the US and sang in operas with Pavarotti.[7] He attended Town School for Boys and San Francisco University High School,[8][9] where he sang lead (second tenor) in the barbershop quartet his freshman year in "The Music Man,"[10] and kept it going all four years, learning to direct and arrange a cappella.[11]
Sharon spent his college years in Boston, graduating from Tufts University with a Bachelor of Arts in childhood studies,[12] and a Bachelor of Music from the New England Conservatory of Music[13] with a focus on vocal jazz, third stream, and music theory.[14]
In college, he directed the collegiate a cappella group the Tufts Beelzebubs,[15][16] transforming the group's sound to reflect modern rock,[17] with intricate instrumental vocalizations[18][19] and the integration of vocal percussion.[20][21] The 1990–1991 Beelzebubs album Foster Street that he directed musically is credited with the creation of the modern a cappella sound,[22] most notably vocal percussion.[23] He chose the name "contemporary a cappella" in college to describe this new style. [24]
Sharon had to audition three times before he was accepted, as he was seen as "overzealous"[25] during a time when a cappella was not popular, a fact which was mentioned in the book "Pitch Perfect."[26][27] Beca and Benji in the Pitch Perfect films are partially based on Sharon.[28] During this time, he decided to make a career of contemporary a cappella [29][30] and popularize this new style, despite being laughed at and told it was impossible,[31][32] "like making a career of professional Tiddlywinks."[33]
Film
Sharon was the music director[34][35] and arranger[36] for the film Pitch Perfect,[37][38][39][40] as well as singing on several of the songs, where he was credited on screen as "Male Voice #1."[41] He returned for Pitch Perfect 2,[42] in which he has a brief cameo as the German judge and broadcaster.[43][44][45] He helped involve several professional a cappella groups and singers with the film, including The Filharmonic,[46] Penn Masala, and Pentatonix. Sharon also worked with the Green Bay Packers.[47][48] He returned to music-direct, arrange, and vocally produce for Pitch Perfect 3.[49] He had also arranged for the film, The Social Network.[50]
Television
In December 2009, he acted as music director, arranger, coach, and consultant behind the scenes on America's first a cappella reality show competition, titled The Sing-Off,[51] and returned in 2010 as one of the show's producers.[52] He also served as Executive Music Producer on the Dutch Sing Off,[53] Sing Off South Africa[54] and Sing-Off China, including several guest appearances as a judge and performer.[55]
Along with The House Jacks, he sang and performed the 2011 Monday Night Football theme song "Are You Ready for Some Football" with Hank Williams, Jr.[56]
He worked with Straight No Chaser on their first PBS special Live in New York.[57]
He appeared in front of the camera for the first time on Lifetime's Pitch Slapped reality show, in which he coached after school high school a cappella group Stay Tuned from Cherry Hill, New Jersey,[49][58] focusing both on their musicality and emotional delivery.[59] The show also aired overseas in London,[60] Israel (where its name in Hebrew means "a cappella battle")[61] across Latin America, Indonesia and the Philippines (under the name Pitch Battle).[62]
As of summer 2017 he is series music director for a new competitive choir show on BBC1 called Pitch Battle,[63] as well as appearing on camera each episode providing insight and commentary.[64][65] He was also the third judge for the season one live finale.[66]
He judged Eurovision Choir 2019.[67] In 2022 music directed "Best in Snow" for Disney+ as well as co-arranged/vocal produced the a cappella scenes in Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin.[68]
Performing career
Upon graduation in 1991, he moved back to San Francisco, bringing with him a handful of other collegiate a cappella singers to form The House Jacks,[69] a pioneering a cappella group[70] known for its original music and sound,[71] often called "the original rock band without instruments",[72] in part because they were the first a cappella group with a designated vocal percussionist.[73]
The House Jacks have released seven albums (signed to Warner Brothers/Tommy Boy Records in the mid-1990s)[74] and completed several world tours.[75] He has performed with many musicians, including Ray Charles, Crosby, Stills and Nash, LL Cool J, Run DMC, The Temptations, and James Brown.[76][77][78] They have won "Best Pop Rock Album" from the Contemporary A Cappella Society, for "Unbroken" (2004), "Level" (2010), and "Pollen (2014).[79]
He also performs as a solo artist, with groups such as the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus[80] and at events like Singapore's "Vocal Edge"[81] and directing DCINY's annual "Total Vocal" at Carnegie Hall[82][83][84] as well as serving as Emcee for a cappella events, such as the annual Techapella concerts in the San Francisco Bay Area.[85]
Studio session credits include the Wii game Just Dance Kids 2 including the songs "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", "Barbara Ann", and "Mahna Mahna".[86]
Arranging
A prolific, award-winning[87][88] vocal music arranger, he has arranged more than 2,000 songs[89] for a wide range of ensembles, including some of vocal music's best-known groups.[90] The Best Arrangement award at the Colorado Harmony Sweepstakes is named after him,[91] and he has won the best arrangement award at the Harmony Sweepstakes several times since 1991.[92] He was named "favorite arranger" in the 2010 A Cappella Community Awards[93] and won "Best Professional Arrangement" in 2019.[94]
Live music direction and production
He founded and directed a cappella groups at Walt Disney World/Epcot (American Vybe) and Disneyland (Groove 66).[95] In 2013, he created a new professional a cappella ensemble in New Mexico: "Voasis".[96][97][98] In 2014 and 2015 he music-directed the Sing Off Live tour[99][100] He created Vocalosity for which he was artistic producer, music director,[101] and arranger.[20] They started touring in 2016[102] and their debut album was released on Universal Classics.[101]
In December 2017 he announced the formation of DCappella, a seven-member contemporary a cappella group launched in 2018 that will tour performing arts centers singing music from classic and contemporary Disney films.[103] He serves as the group's co-creator, music director, arranger, album producer and artistic producer [104][105][106] integrating modern sounds and technology.[107] He also Music Directed "Disney: The Castle" in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2023 [108]
His production with Columbia Artists Management, "A Cappella Live," toured the US featuring four a cappella acts: Committed (vocal group), The Filharmonic, Women of the World, and Blake Lewis.[109][110][111]
Album production
As a producer of a cappella recordings,[112] he is known for having changed the sound of collegiate a cappella recording via the Beelzebubs' album Code Red. He has arranged and produced multiple albums and tracks for Atlantic Records' Straight No Chaser,[113] including the certified gold "Christmas Cheers".[114][115][116]
In the early 1990s, he co-founded The Best of College A Cappella (BOCA) compilation,[117] which he now produces annually with Varsity Vocals.
Event production and promotion
In college, he brought the Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival to the East Coast, producing the first Boston regional with the Beelzebubs.[118] Shortly after college he founded the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA),[119][120] the West and East Coast A Cappella Summits (the first contemporary a cappella conferences), and a number of other a cappella-related projects, programs, and events[121] with the goal of popularizing a cappella.[122] Recent festivals include Aca-West in San Francisco, VoiceJam in Arkansas,[123] Solevoci in Italy, Vocal Asia (in Japan, China, and Taiwan),[124][125][126] Aarhus Vocal Festival in Denmark, and Croappella in Croatia [127][128][129][130][131][132] where he often hosts the evening concert or competition as well as teach during the day.[133]
He is a frequent host and emcee at a cappella events, such as Silicon Valley's "Techapella",[134][135] The National A Cappella Convention,[136] The annual College Notes event in Walnut Creek CA,[137] "Pacific Harmony" in New Zealand,[138] AKA A Cappella in Singapore,[139] and the Maui Barbershop Festival.[140] Some of the videos he has posted to promote a cappella groups around the world have gone viral.[141][142] He's also frequently in residency or headlining events at universities such as Indiana U, Midland U and Tufts U [143][144] and co created as well as emceed the "History of Harmony" concerts with Chicago A Cappella.[145][146]
He's also active in the choral world, presenting at choral festivals, such as the World Choir Games in 2021 in Flanders[147][148] and 2024 in New Zealand,[149][108] World Symposium on Choral Music,[150] Cambridge Choir Festival,[151] GALA Choruses[152] and Chorus America,[153] as well as the Barbershop community with the Barbershop Harmony Society[154] and Sweet Adelines International[155][156][157][158]
His work to popularize and promote a cappella worldwide is now being recognized by major media: "A Capella [sic] is more popular than ever, thanks to this guy" (NPR Here and Now),[159] "Deke Sharon makes a cappella cool again" (NPR All Things Considered).[160]
Organizations
In his college dorm he founded The Contemporary A Cappella Society[161][162][163][164][165] and The Ultimate A Cappella Arranging Service (which became TotalVocal). Shortly after graduation, he created the Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards ("CARAs"), a cappella's equivalent of the Grammy Awards.[53]
He formed the Contemporary A Cappella League,[166] a new national network of adult "post-collegiate" a cappella groups.[167]
Writing
- A Cappella Arranging, his first book, co-authored with Dylan Bell, was published in 2012.[168]
- A Cappella, a general interest book covering many aspects of the style, co-authored with Ben Spalding and Brody McDonald, was released in 2015.[169]
- The Heart of Vocal Harmony, about how vocal harmony groups can perform with unified emotion, was released in early 2016.[170]
- A Cappella Warmups for Pop and Jazz Choirs and
- So You Want To Sing A Cappella were both released in 2017.[171][172]
- Teaching Music Through Performance in Contemporary A Cappella, the first contemporary a cappella repertoire guide, was released summer 2020 [173]
- A Cappella Arranging 2.0: The Next Level, building off of the concepts of the original, was released in 2024[174]
Biographical Information about Deke Sharon can be found in Mickey Rapkin's Pitch Perfect (2008), Rick Smolan's 24 Hours in Cyberspace (1996), Joshua Duchan's Powerful Voices (2012), Alysia Abbott's Fairyland (2013)[175] Darren Pleasance's "True North" (2023) and Carsten Gerlitz's Popchor (2018) [176]
Musical theater
The pioneering,[177] first all-a cappella musical on Broadway, In Transit,[178] for which he is co-producer and arranged all the music,[179] opened at the Circle in the Square Theater on Broadway in December 2016.[180] He started working with the production just after their off-Broadway run five years earlier.[181]
Vocalosity, a live a cappella theatrical concert production with diverse cast,[182] began touring in January 2016 and has performed in 30 states.[183][184][185]
He has worked on a cappella musical theatre projects including "Street" and "Our World".[186]
He arranged the opening number for Andrew Lloyd Webber's new greatest hits musical "Unmasked",[187] a fast-paced mashup of 17 of his greatest hits.
Education
He co-founded and directs Camp Acappella for teens and adults each summer[188][189] at Wright State University[190] in Dayton, Ohio[191] and teaches the music production class Soup To Nuts periodically.[192] as well as travels to other countries to work with groups in person, such as New Zealand,[193] Brazil, Italy,[194] Sri Lanka and Singapore.[195]
His YouTube channel features a variety of educational topics including how to sound like several different instruments. A GE special features him discussing the physics of a cappella.[196]
In 2016, he joined the California branch of the American Choral Directors Association as the first ever Contemporary A Cappella R&R chair.[197] and co-created Acappella.how for google [198] His Camp A Cappella Intensive in Washington DC started in 2022, a partnership with Ben Folds, Planet Word, and the National Symphony Orchestra.[199]
Awards
The Pitch Perfect soundtrack earned several awards, including an RIAA platinum record certification, the American Music Award for best soundtrack,[200] an Online Film and Television Association nomination for Best Music, Adapted Song (Don't You Forget About Me)[201] and an MTV Video Music Award for "Best Musical Moment".[202][better source needed]
The Pitch Perfect 2 soundtrack, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200,[203] secured the American Music Award for best Soundtrack[204] and a Grammy nomination for Best Soundtrack.[205]
As album producer, he was nominated for a Dove Award in 2012 (Best Contemporary Gospel Album: Committed).[206]
In 2016, he became an honorary member of the Barbershop Harmony Society, one of only twenty since 1938,[207] and he was named an honorary member of BYU Vocal Point.[208] In 2017 he was awarded the P.T. Barnum Award for excellence in Entertainment from his alma mater, Tufts University.[209]
He has received two lifetime achievement awards for his work in a cappella: in 2016 for the 25th anniversary of his founding of thee Contemporary A Cappella Society[210] and in 2018, from the A Cappella Music Awards.[211]
Other
He has been referred to as "the father of contemporary a cappella"[212][37][213][160][214][215][216][217] and "the godfather of a cappella".[218][219][220][221][222][223]
He is known for his ability to replicate a variety of instruments (e.g. trumpet,[224] guitar, flute, violin, muted trumpet, harmonica) with his voice—which he teaches online[225] and via "Singing Instruments" seminars[226]—teaching summer camp for young vocalists,[227] and adjudicating choral festivals around the world.[228] He has worked with many professional pop vocal groups, including 98 Degrees, The Nylons and Boyz II Men.[229]
Helping groups get started has been an ongoing goal of his for 30 years, which he does by providing free advice, support [230] and arrangements.[231][232] He also works with organizations philanthropically who support vocal harmony.[233][234]
He served on the CASA board for almost twenty years, often as President or Vice President.[235] Acapellablog named him the number-one "a cappella power player to keep an eye on in 2012",[236] and NPR credits him for "making a cappella cool again".[160]
In 2016 he launched an a cappella podcast called "Counterpoint" with co-host Robert Dietz [237] and has appeared on other podcasts.[238][239][240][241][242][243]
To help promote Good Omens, he arranged several songs for "The Chattering Order of St Beryl," a group of singing nuns.,[244][245] and co-created Walmart's "Sparkappella."[246][247]
When the cult NXIVM tried to use a cappella as a recruiting device, he drew out Keith Raniere in a public forum,[248][249][250] resulting in his being put on their list of enemies.[251][252]
He has been featured repeatedly in Kiplinger's Personal Finance for socially responsible investing.[253]
He says his life's work is "to get more people singing"[254] because "music can build a better community"[255] as "our country needs to understand the importance of working together".[256] His motto is "Harmony through harmony."[257]
Selected bibliography
| Title | Year | Category | ISBN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Cappella Arranging | 2012 | Non fiction | ISBN 1458416577 | ISBN 9781538185308 |
| A Cappella | 2015 | Non fiction | ISBN 147061667X | |
| The Heart of Vocal Harmony: Emotional Expression in Group Singing | 2016 | Non fiction | ISBN 1495057836 | |
| A Cappella Warmups for Pop and Jazz Choirs | 2017 | Non fiction | ISBN 0793595290 | |
| So You Want To Sing A Cappella: A Guide For Performers | 2017 | Non fiction | ISBN 153810587X | |
| Teaching Music Through Performance in Contemporary A Cappella | 2020 | Non fiction | ISBN 9781622774876 | |
| A Cappella Arranging 2.0: The Next Level | 2024 | Non fiction | ISBN 9781538172667 | ISBN 9781538172674 |
| Title | Year | Category | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contemporary A Cappella Songbook Vol 1 | 1996 | Song book | ISBN 0793595290 |
| Contemporary A Cappella Songbook Vol 2 | 1997 | Song book | ISBN 0793595282 |
| A CASA Christmas | 1998 | Song book | ISBN 0793595274 |
| Songs For All Occasions | 1999 | Song book | ISBN 0634011707 |
| I Feel Good: A Contemporary A Cappella Collection | 2000 | Song book | ISBN 0634025600 |
| Natural Woman | 2001 | Song book | ISBN 0634033611 |
| Shout | 2002 | Song book | ISBN 0634055127 |
| Girls Just Wanna Have Fun | 2003 | Song book | ISBN 0634084224 |
| Good Ol A Cappella Vol 1 | 2003 | Song book | ISBN 0634055275 |
| ShBoom: Contemporary A Cappella Songbook | 2003 | Song book | ISBN 0634055283 |
| A Cappella Jazz Broadway | 2004 | Song book | ISBN 0634097776 |
| A Cappella Jazz Classics | 2004 | Song book | ISBN 0634084232 |
| Respect | 2004 | Song book | ISBN 0634084240 |
| Deck The Hall | 2006 | Song book | ISBN 0634084216 |
| Ya Gotta Be | 2007 | Song book | ISBN 1423412397 |
| Love Songs A Cappella | 2010 | Song book | ISBN 0634055240 |
| DCappella Tour Songbook | 2019 | Song book | ISBN 9781540041791 |
Selected discography
| Album | Year(s) | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Fourteen – Tufts Beelzebubs | 1989 | Music Director, Arranger, Vocalist, Producer |
| Beelzebub Winter Invitational – Tufts Beelzebubs | 1990 | Arranger, Vocalist, Producer |
| Foster Street – Tufts Beelzebubs | 1991 | Music Director, Arranger, Vocalist, Producer |
| Sing Naked – House Jacks | 1991 | Music Director, Arranger, Vocalist, Producer |
| Naked Noise – House Jacks | 1994 | Music Director, Arranger, Vocalist, Producer |
| Best of College A Cappella | 1995–present | Producer |
| Urban Harmony: R&B A Cappella | 1996 | Producer |
| Funkwich – House Jacks | 1997 | Music Director, Arranger, Vocalist, Producer |
| A Cappella All-Stars: The CARAs | 1997–2000 | Producer |
| Harmony Sweepstakes | 1997–1998 | Producer |
| Voices Only: A Cappella Originals | 1997 | Producer |
| Yearbook: Live from Spring Thing | 1997–1998 | Producer |
| Best of High School A Cappella | 1998–present | Producer |
| Naked Funk – House Jacks | 1999 | Music Director, Arranger, Vocalist, Producer |
| Wasting Our Parents' Money: BOCA Humor | 1999 | Producer |
| Drive – House Jacks | 2001 | Music Director, Arranger, Vocalist, Producer |
| Next – Tufts Beelzebubs | 2001 | Arranger, Producer |
| Disney's American Vybe – American Vybe | 2001 | Music Director, Arranger |
| Punch – Various | 2002 | Music Director, Arranger, Vocalist, Producer |
| Embodiment – BaSix (Denmark) | 2002 | Producer |
| Only In America – Peking and the Mystics | 2002 | Producer |
| Code Red – Tufts Beelzebubs | 2003 | Arranger, Producer |
| Unbroken – House Jacks | 2004 | Music Director, Arranger, Vocalist, Producer |
| Fitchy & Grikko – House Jacks | 2005 | Music Director, Arranger, Vocalist, Producer |
| Udder Won – Moosebutter | 2005 | Vocalist, Producer |
| Unleash the Periscope – Colorado College Back Row | 2006 | Producer |
| Get Down Mr. President – House Jacks | 2007 | Music Director, Arranger, Vocalist, Producer |
| Good Things – House Jacks | 2009 | Music Director, Arranger, Vocalist, Producer |
| Christmas Cheers – Straight No Chaser | 2009 | Arranger, Producer |
| The Sing-Off tracks – US Sing-Off Cast, Season 1–5 | 2009–2014 | Arranger, Music Director, Producer |
| Go Nuts – Colorado College Back Row | 2010 | Producer |
| With A Twist – Straight No Chaser | 2010 | Arranger, Producer |
| Level – House Jacks | 2010 | Music Director, Arranger, Vocalist, Producer |
| Nota – Nota | 2010 | Arranger, Producer |
| Harmonies for the Holidays – Sing-Off Cast, Season Two | 2010 | Arranger, Producer |
| Best of The Sing-Off Season Two – Sing-Off Cast | 2011 | Arranger, Music Director, Producer |
| Committed – Committed | 2011 | Arranger, Producer |
| Songs of the Season – Sing-Off Cast, Season Three | 2011 | Arranger, Producer |
| Pitch Perfect Soundtrack – Pitch Perfect cast | 2012 | Arranger, Music Director, Vocalist, Producer |
| Act Accordingly – Gentlemen's Rule | 2012 | Arranger, Producer |
| Life's So Lyrical – Forte | 2012 | Arranger, Producer |
| Blackjack – The House Jacks | 2012 | Arranger, Music Director, Vocalist, Producer |
| Southern Autumn Nostalgia – Street Corner Symphony | 2013 | Arranger, Producer |
| Pollen – The House Jacks | 2014 | Arranger, Music Director, Vocalist, Producer |
| Best of BOCA | 2014 | Producer |
| Pitch Perfect 2 Soundtrack – Pitch Perfect Cast | 2015 | Arranger, Music Director, Vocalist, Producer |
| Pitch Slapped Live Performances – Stay Tuned | 2016 | Arranger, Music Director, Producer |
| Vocalosity – Vocalosity | 2016 | Arranger, Music Director, Vocalist, Producer |
| Straight No Chaser – I'll Have Another | 2016 | Arranger, Producer ("Run Run Rudolph") |
| In Transit – Original Broadway Cast | 2017 | Arranger, Producer |
| Pitch Perfect 3 Soundtrack – Cast | 2017 | Arranger, Music Director, Producer |
| Incredibles 2 Soundtrack – D Cappella | 2018 | Arranger, Music Director, Producer |
| Full Rally – Tufts Beelzebubs | 2018 | Arranger, Producer |
| D Cappella – D Cappella | 2018 | Arranger, Music Director, Producer |
| Unholy Night – Chattering Order of St Beryl (Good Omens) | 2019 | Arranger, Coach/consultant |
| D Cappella Japanese album – D Cappella | 2019 | Arranger, Music Director, Producer |
| SparkAppella - SparkAppella | 2019 | Arranger, Music Director, Producer |
| Rockin Holiday – D Cappella | 2019 | Arranger, Music Director, Producer |
| All Ears – D Cappella | 2020 | Arranger, Music Director, Producer |
| Holiday A Cappella – D Cappella | 2021 | Arranger, Music Director, Producer |
| Magic Reimagined – D Cappella | 2022 | Arranger, Music Director, Producer |
| Home For The Holidays – D Cappella | 2022 | Arranger, Music Director, Producer |
| Pitch Perfect: Bumper In Berlin – Soundtrack | 2022 | Arranger, Music Director, Producer |
