Jack Sharpe (songwriter) explained

John Rufus Sharpe III (October 31, 1909 – April 23, 1996) was an American songwriter, music publishing executive and author. He is best known for "So Rare", published in 1937, which he wrote with composer Jerry Herst.^{[1] [2]}

Sharpe was born in Berkeley, California, United States, the first of two children of John Rufus Sharpe Jr. and Regina Franvell Walshe.^[3] Although his father was not known to be musically inclined, that was not the case with his mother. She achieved some local renown ^[4] for her operatic singing and she passed her love of music to her son. Sharpe was distantly related to the singer and entertainer Judy Canova.

"So Rare" was a #2 hit in 1957 for Jimmy Dorsey,^{[5] [6]} but it has been recorded by numerous artists including Carl Ravell and his Orchestra (1937), Gus Arnheim and his Coconut Grove Orchestra (1937), Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians (1937), Andy Williams (1959), Ella Fitzgerald (1960) and Ray Conniff (1965).^{[7] [8]} Sharpe and Herst have four collaborations listed at the performing rights organisation ASCAP, including "So Rare",^[9] and a number of other Herst-Sharpe songs are listed at the US Copyright Office.^[10]

Sharpe wrote the lyrics to "The Dream Peddler's Serenade" (1950), composed by Johnny Mercer and recorded by Margaret Whiting.^{[11] [12]}

He authored at least one novel, Hogar, Lord of the Asyr (1987), published in New American Library's Signet imprint under his full name of John Rufus Sharpe III.^[13]

In the mid-1960s, Sharpe formed Rondo Music,^[14] and by 1967 he was General Manager of the George E. Primrose Music Co, Mill Valley, California.^[15] In 1970 he married Josephine Tumminia,^{[16] [17]} an opera singer who had recorded with the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra in 1937.^[18] At the time of his death he had last resided in San Mateo, California,^[19] but he died in Santa Cruz County.^[20]

External links

• Lead sheet for "So Rare" at Wikifonia

Notes and References

1. https://books.google.com/books?id=rwkEAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22jack+sharpe%22+%22so+rare%22&pg=PA62 Billboard, 1 June 1996, page 62
2. Social Security Death Index, hosted at www.ancestry.com : "John R. Sharpe, born 31 Oct 1909, died 23 Apr 1996
3. California Certificate of Live Birth #9-001509
4. News: Talented Artists to Charm Music Lovers On Sunday. Oakland Tribune. April 30, 1908. 12.
5. Whitburn, Joel (1983) The Billboard Book of US Top 40 Hits, New York: Billboard Publications, Inc, page 94
6. The label on the original Fraternity 45rpm record F-755 shows "JIMMY DORSEY" prominently, followed by small print "with Orchestra and Chorus"
7. http://78discography.com/ Online Discographical Project discographies for 78 rpm record labels
8. http://allmusic.com/search/track/So+Rare/order:default-asc All Music Guide
9. http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20020915175032/http://www.ascap.com/ace/search.cfm?mode=search American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers database
10. http://cocatalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?PAGE=sbSearch&SEQ=20111029073713&PID=QwJ6MDjBiKLFSXMyQssXauV3gt US Copyright Office
11. http://www.library.gsu.edu/spcoll/mercer/songs.asp?action=info&ID=214 "Dream Peddler's Serenade", Song Database, Johnny Mercer Collection, Georgia State University Library
12. https://books.google.com/books?id=OwEEAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22dream+peddler%27s+serenade%22+%22margaret+whiting%22&pg=PA21 Billboard, 18 March 1950, page 21
13. http://www.copyright.gov/records/ US Copyright Office
14. https://books.google.com/books?id=rwkEAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22jack+sharpe%22+%22so+rare%22&pg=PA62 Billboard, 1 June 1996, page 62
15. https://books.google.com/books?id=BCgEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22jack+sharpe%22+%22so+rare%22&pg=RA1PA21 Billboard, 6 May 1967, page SF-27
16. California Marriage Index, 1960-1985
17. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zvYeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=CY0EAAAAIBAJ&pg=7352,1341734&dq=tumminia+jack+sharpe&hl=en Jack O'Brian, "The Voice of Broadway", syndicated column, February 1971
18. http://www.gramophone.net/Issue/Page/October%201937/27/805577/ "Josephine Tumminia with Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra", review, ' 'The Gramophone' ', October 1937, page 27
19. Social Security Death Index, hosted at www.ancestry.com: "John R. Sharpe, born 31 Oct 1909, died 23 Apr 1996, last resided in San Mateo, SSN issued before 1951 by California"
20. California Death Index, hosted at www.ancestry.com: "John Rufus Sharpe, born 31 Oct 1909 CA, died 23 Apr 1996 Santa Cruz [county], mother's maiden name Walshe"