* * * * * * Begun in the late eighties by Allan Catlin, Charlie Rooke and Danny Simcic of REAL LIFE as a Rockabilly Covers Outfit, THE SHARP scored a winning management contract with WOW management,(Keith Welsh and Neil Wiles of Boom Crash Opera, IceHouse,) with their uniquely polished original DEMO of Talking Sly, written+produced by the Catlin/Rooke songwriting team, featuring Charlie's wild guitar parts and an R5 drum machine. 1991 introduced Piet Collins on manchester funk style drums replacing Danny, who's contract with Real Life BMG would not allow him to sign to THE SHARP. After a discreet bidding war for the band between Sony, Mushroom, Warner, and EMI, a deal was struck with WARNER MUSIC, due to the band's trusted friendship with Alan Robertson (warnerA&R).
THE SHARP went on to have 5 top 40 hits and achieved a GOLD RECORD for their first album. They Blitzed the MTV Top 40 National Charts and for 3 years were on high rotation on every Radio Station in the country. They appeared on National TV becoming regular guests on Australia's highest rating shows winnig an ARIA for best video in 1995 after being nominated 7 times for various ARIA awards from 1992 on.
The inner circle of the sharp came to include producers Peter Farnan, Nick Mainsbridge, Rick Will, Kalju Tonuma and Celeb Photographer Stu Spence, Alan Robertson, Michael Parisi, Ian England, Sean James and WARNER MUSIC, John Anderson EMI, Jim Kellam, Peter Green and Crowded House, and the band received great support from INXS, Jimmy Barnes, Ray Martin, Rob Sitch +theDGen, Andrew Denton, Deborah Conway, Tina Arena, Libby Gore, Will Smith, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Natalie Imbruglia, Jimoin, Fiona Horne, John Kennedy, JJJ, Fox + MMM, Andrew Peters, Bill Page, Brad Robinson, Kimberly Davies, Toni Pearen, Kim Wilson, Steve Vizard, Marcia Hines, John Farnam, DIESEL+Michael Gadinsky, Gerard Schlegecke, Daryl Somers, Ian Meldrum, Richard Wilkins, Bert Newton and the Collingwood Football Club.
THE SHARP were signed to 14 international territories including Germany, France, Sweden, Italy, Asia and Sth America. After a relentless and record breaking touring effort of around 320 live shows per year with their musically acclaimed and acrobatic ( not to mention pyroteknic) enormity of their live SUPER TOURS , Piet and Charlie suddenly resigned due to health and other issues, and Allan reluctantly followed suit.
These days, Charlie runs a book store, Piet is a media journalist and Allan is in advertising production, and all three teach music privately...
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