ROCK HISTORY ARTHUR SHARP EPISODE ONE

Arthur Sharp (1941 - 2023) was a singer and co-founder of the sixties group the Nashville Teens. The Nashville Teens were an English rock band, formed in Surrey in 1962. They are best known for their 1964 hit single "Tobacco Road", a top 10 UK hit and a top 20 hit in the United States. Art began his career in music as manager of Aerco Records in Woking, Surrey. The group's line-up eventually comprised singers Sharp and Ray Phillips, with former Cruisers Rock Combo members John Hawken (piano), Mick Dunford (lead guitar) Pete Shannon(bass) and Dave Maine (drums).

While playing in Hamburg, the Teens backed Jerry Lee Lewis for his Live at the Star Club, Hamburg album. Music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine writes, "Live at the Star Club is extraordinary, the purest, hardest rock & roll ever committed to record. The band later backed Carl Perkins on his hit single "Big Bad Blues" (May 1964) and also played with Chuck Berry when he toured Britain. One concert was attended by Mickie Most, who subsequently produced the band's June 1964 debut single, an interpretation of the John D. Loudermilk penned song "Tobacco Road", which reached No. 6 in the UK Singles Chart and No. 14 in the USBillboard Hot 100 chart. The follow-up, another Loudermilk song, "Google Eye", reached number 10 in the UK in October 1964. The Nashville Teens' record producers also included Andrew Loog Oldham and Shel Talmy.

A further three top 50 singles, "Find My Way Back Home" and "This Little Bird", followed in February and May 1965 and "The Hard Way" made a brief appearance the following year but three subsequent records ("I Know How It Feels To Be Loved", "Forbidden Fruit" and "That's My Woman") all failed to chart. Jenkins left in 1966 to join The Animals and was replaced by his predecessor Roger Groome. Reportedly Ray Phillips got an offer to join Cream in 1966. He refused. Although musically competent, the group's lack of distinctive personality contributed to its lack of long-term success, as did Decca's poor promotion. (By 1970, Decca's only remaining rock acts were The Rolling Stones and The Moody Blues, both of whom handled their own promotion.) In the late Sixties the group returned to its old craft: backing other artists like Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry and Gene Vincent. In 1971 they released a single, "Ella James", a Roy Wood-penned song originally recorded by The Move, on the Parlophone label, again without success.

Arthur Sharp left in 1972 to join the band's one-time manager Don Arden, and Trevor Williams joined. Despite Phillips's efforts, the Nashville Teens split in 1973.

Arthur stayed in "the business" joining Don Arden's management team working for Jet Records. Among the artists he subsequently worked with were The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO); Lyndsey De Paul; Alan Price; Ozzy Osborne; Carl Perkins; Raymond Froggett; Magnum; Violinski; and Black Sabbath. An amazing array of talent.

Arthur sadly died suddenly on Christmas Day 2023.