Jump to content
 







Main menu
   


Navigation  



Main page
Contents
Current events
Random article
About Wikipedia
Contact us
Donate
 




Contribute  



Help
Learn to edit
Community portal
Recent changes
Upload file
 








Search  

































Create account

Log in
 









Create account
 Log in
 




Pages for logged out editors learn more  



Contributions
Talk
 



















Contents

   



(Top)
 


1 Biography  





2 Discography  



2.1  Solo albums  





2.2  As sideman  







3 References  





4 External links  














Ralph Sharon






Čeština
Deutsch
Español
עברית
مصرى
Nederlands
Suomi
 

Edit links
 









Article
Talk
 

















Read
Edit
View history
 








Tools
   


Actions  



Read
Edit
View history
 




General  



What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Cite this page
Get shortened URL
Download QR code
Wikidata item
 




Print/export  



Download as PDF
Printable version
 
















Appearance
   

 






From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 


Ralph Sharon
Born(1923-09-17)September 17, 1923
London, England
DiedMarch 31, 2015(2015-03-31) (aged 91)
Boulder, Colorado, United States
GenresJazz
Occupation(s)Pianist, composer, arranger, conductor
Instrument(s)Piano
Years active1940s - 2015

Ralph Simon Sharon (September 17, 1923 – March 31, 2015) was a British-American jazz pianist and arranger.[1] He is best known for working with Tony Bennett as his pianist on numerous recordings and live performances.

Biography[edit]

Ralph Sharon was born in London, England, to a British mother and Latvian-born father. He emigrated to the United States in early 1954,[2] becoming a naturalized citizen of the United States five years later.

By 1958, Ralph Sharon was recording with Tony Bennettasaccompanist. That was the start of a more than 50 year working relationship as Bennett's "man behind the music" on many Grammy Award-winning studio recordings, and touring with Bennett for many years. Sharon found the song "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" for Bennett, a year after placing the sheet music in a bureau and forgetting about it. Sharon discovered the manuscript while packing for a tour that included San Francisco. While Bennett and Sharon liked the song, they were convinced it would only be a local hit. Instead, the tune became Bennett's signature song.

On his recording of "I'll Be Home for Christmas" from the 1992 CD Snowfall: The Tony Bennett Christmas Album, Bennett is heard at the end of the song exclaiming "Take me home, Ralph!" as Sharon plays the last notes of the song.[3]

Ralph Sharon was a jazz pianist in his own right, recording a series of his own albums. But Sharon was best known as one of the finest accompanists who backed up popular singers, including Tony Bennett, Robert Goulet, Chris Connor and many others.[1]

Retiring to Boulder, Colorado, from on-the-road work with Bennett when he reached 80, Ralph Sharon continued to perform in the Denver metropolitan area until shortly before his death. Tony Bennett and the Ralph Sharon Trio performed at various jazz venues, including Dazzle Restaurant & Lounge in Denver. He died from natural causes on March 31, 2015.[4]

Discography[edit]

Solo albums[edit]

As sideman[edit]

With Tony Bennett
With Johnny Hartman

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Colin Larkin, ed. (2002). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Fifties Music (Third ed.). Virgin Books. p. 388. ISBN 1-85227-937-0.
  • ^ Autumn Leaves and Spring Fever - notes on reverse of album cover LFA1138
  • ^ YouTube.com/"I'll Be Home for Christmas"
  • ^ "Ralph Sharon Longtime Accompanist to Singer Tony Bennett Dies at 91". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
  • External links[edit]


    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ralph_Sharon&oldid=1218368689"

    Categories: 
    1923 births
    2015 deaths
    American jazz pianists
    American male jazz pianists
    American music arrangers
    British emigrants to the United States
    English jazz pianists
    Musicians from London
    20th-century English musicians
    20th-century American pianists
    American people of Latvian descent
    English people of Latvian descent
    20th-century American male musicians
    Hidden categories: 
    Articles with short description
    Short description is different from Wikidata
    Articles with hCards
    Pages using infobox musical artist with associated acts
    Articles with FAST identifiers
    Articles with ISNI identifiers
    Articles with VIAF identifiers
    Articles with BNE identifiers
    Articles with BNF identifiers
    Articles with BNFdata identifiers
    Articles with GND identifiers
    Articles with LCCN identifiers
    Articles with MusicBrainz identifiers
     



    This page was last edited on 11 April 2024, at 09:15 (UTC).

    Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.



    Privacy policy

    About Wikipedia

    Disclaimers

    Contact Wikipedia

    Code of Conduct

    Developers

    Statistics

    Cookie statement

    Mobile view



    Wikimedia Foundation
    Powered by MediaWiki