RIP blues pianist Dave Alexander aka King Omar Shariff

[trane_fanatic]

http://blues.about.com/b/2012/01/13/texas-boogie-woogie-king-omar-sharriff-r-i-p.htm

Shreveport, Louisiana television station KTBS is reporting on its website that Texas blues pianist Omar Shariff (a/k/a David Alexander) passed away on Sunday, January 8, 2012 at the age of 73 years old, evidently from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Born in Shreveport but raised in nearby Marshall, Texas the young David Alexander Elam was a second-generation, self-taught pianist. Since the Marshall area is largely thought of as the birthplace of the boogie-woogie style of piano blues, Elam picked up plenty of boogie flavor learning from the originators of the style. Elam joined the Army at the age of 17 and, after a two-year hitch, he relocated to Oakland, California in 1957...

Edited January 19, 2012 by trane_fanatic

[JSngry]

KTBS report on the death: http://www.ktbs.com/news/30172283/detail.html

And the memorial servic: http://www.ktbs.com/news/30215870/detail.html

[Stereojack]

KTBS report on the death: http://www.ktbs.com/news/30172283/detail.html

And the memorial servic: http://www.ktbs.com/news/30215870/detail.html

Interesting that many of the obits characterize him as a blues and boogie woogie player. He displayed a harmonic sophistication in some of his work that was more akin to jazz. A very fine musician!

[six string]

He played in the Sacramento area for quite a while. I saw him several times over the years. He wasn't very well appreciated by the general public here. One of the times I saw him was my first "date" with my wife at a Sunday brunch where Omar played solo piano for the diners. Based on the clubs he played in town he probably didn't make much money but it didn't keep him from playing his ass off. Next thing I knew he wasn't around anymore but I see he moved back to Marshall,Texas.

RIP

Edited January 26, 2012 by six string