Sharon Rae North Enchanting jazz vocalist extraordinaire returns to her native Ohio by way of Virginia with sizzlin' style for a not-to-miss BLU debut! Featuring David Thomas, Bobby Curry, Deion Williams.

Youngstown native, Sharon Rae North, has graced the stages of major festivals, theaters and small, & intimate venues across the country. While she loves them all, her preference is to have the audience up close and personal as she enchants them. She’s known for jazz, whether it’s standards, smooth and contemporary. But, don’t be surprised if you hear a little Top 40 or R&B mixed in…seasoned to perfection with Sharon’s jazzy flavor.
 

“Line up all the female jazz vocalists you can think of and Sharon Rae North can sing them all under the table…”
– Jay Edwards (WCLK-FM Atlanta)

 
In July, Sharon is releasing her next project, Sincerely Yours. The first single, a cover of Sting’s ‘Sister Moon’ drops in late June. She was fortunate enough to have a couple of heavy hitters work with her on the project. Fred Sawyers, a prolific songwriter and vocalist (Isaac Hayes, Will Downing, etc.) penned the lyrics and did the vocal arrangements. Chris “Big Dog” Davis wrote and arranged the music. Davis also produces Maysa, Phil Perry, Gerald Albright, Will Downing, Najee, Alex Bugnon and many others.
 
Vocal versatility, range, phrasing, and the ability to connect to an audience make each performance memorable, leaving Sharon’s audience eagerly awaiting another chance to catch her live. Don’t miss your chance to hear her as she makes her Ohio homecoming in a very special summertime BLU debut – get your tickets today!
 

About Sharon Rae North

Sharon Rae North’s mother once told her, “No matter what you do on the outside, you’re a singer on the inside.”
 
But she’s a singer on the outside, too. So talented that she was tapped to perform at the wrap party for the Steven Spielberg movie “Lincoln.” And, days later gave a spectacular performance as the opening act for screen and stage legend Ruby Dee, featuring Dee’s son, Guy Davis. And to top it off, she has achieved a life-long dream of performing with a Big Band after being selected for a lead vocalist spot with the Central Virginia Jazz Orchestra.
 
“Sassy, sensual, soulful and spectacular…Nina Simone with a little bit of Della and Ella tossed in for color,” is how Jazz DJ Carmen Brown of 98.3 WDLT-FM [Mobile, AL] describes the vocals of Sharon Rae North on her latest jazz CD “The Way You Make Me Feel”.
 
This talented songstress sings jazz (straight-ahead, contemporary, smooth, etc.) and standards. Though, she often adds in some jazz versions of R&B, Rock and Top 40 hits. Her second commercial CD, “Gee Baby” is a collection of beautiful jazz standards that dropped in late 2012 to stellar reviews. Her first commercial CD 2007’s “The Way You Make Me Feel” continues to receive airplay in markets internationally and and also received reviews.
 
Sharon Rae North puts on a fabulous performance and has opened for many national acts, including Joe Sample and the Jazz Crusaders, Lonnie Liston Smith and Patti LaBelle. She has shared the stage with Chaka Khan, Lalah Hathaway, Stanley Clark, Boney James, Chuck Mangione, Norman Brown, Poncho Sanchez, Marcus Johnson, Bob Baldwin and many others. Following her performances at the Jazz at Maymont festival in Richmond, VA, Baldwin expressed an interest in working with her on her next project. Stay tuned.
She has performed at venues throughout the U.S., including the famed Georgia Aquarium, Ritz Carlton Reynolds Plantation (where country star Carrie Underwood married), Isaac Haye’s Restaurant in Memphis, Twins Jazz in D.C., James River Cellars in Richmond, VA, Bayfest in Mobile, AL, Fridays at Sunset and Jazz at Maymont in Richmond, VA, Durham Summer Music Festival.
 
Sharon has worked with Joel “Razor Sharp” Johnson, keyboard player for funk-masters Bootsy Collins and George Clinton, piano virtuoso Frank “Buzz” Amato, who accompanied Curtis Mayfield for many years, pianist Walter Bland, the only musician listed on the soundtrack of the HBO series Oz. Others include, drummers Robert “Mousey” Thompson of the James Brown Band and the late Jimmy “Junebug” Jackson, who played with jazz great Jimmy Smith for nearly two decades, keyboardists Earl Fleming, formerly of the Tyler Perry band and currently with Sugarfoot’s Ohio Players, Keith “Keecho” Rawls, who played for Peabo Bryson and for the UniverSoul Circus, and keyboardist Danny Jackson, who has produced for Grammy winning artist India.Arie. She also has worked with Michael “Kid Funkadelic” Hampton, lead guitarist for George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic and has done sessions with Clarence “Doctor Bob” Ross, the current saxophone player and back-up singer for the Isley Brothers and music programmer for Chaka Khan, En Vogue, New Edition and many others. She has performed with Jerry “Louie” Poindexter, veteran keyboard player for the “Godfather of Soul”, James Brown and jazz recording saxophonist, Derwin Daniels. Derwin also produced Sharon’s first CD, a 4-song demo that has received international airplay.
 

$15