# Maia Sharp > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Maia_Sharp > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Maia_Sharp.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maia_Sharp > Source revision: 1355507884 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{short description|American musician}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2020}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Maia Sharp | image =Maia Sharp at Monday Monday 10 07 2013 -4 (10162855353).jpg | caption = | image_size = | background = solo_singer | origin = | instrument = multi instrumentalist | genre = [Country](/source/Country_music), Rock | occupation = Singer-songwriter | years_active = | label =[Ark 21](/source/Ark_21_Records)
[Concord](/source/Concord_Records)
[Koch](/source/Koch_Records)
Crooked Crown | website = [http://maiasharp.com/ maiasharp.com] }} '''Maia Sharp''' is an American singer and songwriter. In addition to her solo career, she has written songs for and collaborated with several country and pop musicians including [Cher](/source/Cher), [Trisha Yearwood](/source/Trisha_Yearwood), [Terri Clark](/source/Terri_Clark), [Bonnie Raitt](/source/Bonnie_Raitt), [Edwin McCain](/source/Edwin_McCain), and [Art Garfunkel](/source/Art_Garfunkel). ==Early life== Sharp was born in the [Central Valley](/source/Central_Valley_(California)) in California, the only child of country songwriter [Randy Sharp](/source/Randy_Sharp) and [anthropology](/source/anthropology) professor Sharon Bays.{{Citation | last = Kort | first = Michele | author-link = | title = Sharp climb | newspaper = [The Advocate](/source/The_Advocate_(LGBT_magazine)) | pages = | date = April 2, 2005| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=8GMEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA60 | accessdate =December 29, 2009 }} When she was four, the family moved to Los Angeles, and at the age of five she recorded her first song. By the age of twelve she played piano, saxophone, [oboe](/source/oboe), and guitar, and by her twenties she was performing her jazz/folk songs in L.A. acoustic venues.{{Cite web | last = McCartney | first = Kelly | authorlink = | title = Maia Sharp | website = | publisher = [AllMusic](/source/AllMusic) | date = | url = {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p124175|pure_url=yes}} | format = | doi = | accessdate =December 29, 2009 }} Musically, she was inspired by [Bonnie Raitt](/source/Bonnie_Raitt), [Joni Mitchell](/source/Joni_Mitchell), [Jackson Browne](/source/Jackson_Browne) and [Sting](/source/Sting_(musician)). Sharp studied music theory at [California State University, Northridge](/source/California_State_University%2C_Northridge) and began to focus on song-writing. She [came out](/source/coming_out) as a lesbian at the age of 23. ==Career== Sharp played her first gig in 1993. Two years later, she met music executive [Miles Copeland](/source/Miles_Copeland_III) and recorded her debut album, ''Hardly Glamour'' (1997), on his record label [Ark 21](/source/Ark_21_Records). Her next album ''Tinderbox'' failed to be released when Ark 21 was incorporated into [PolyGram](/source/PolyGram).{{cite web |url=http://www.popentertainment.com/maiasharp.htm |title=Maia Sharp |accessdate=February 17, 2009 |last=Jacobs |first=Jay S. |work=PopEntertainment.com }} Three of its songs were featured on Sharp's 2002 album ''[Maia Sharp](/source/Maia_Sharp_(album))'' on [Concord](/source/Concord_Records).{{Cite web | last = Lankford | first = Ronnie D. | authorlink = | title = Maia Sharp > Review | publisher = [AllMusic](/source/AllMusic) | date = | url = {{AllMusic|class=album|id=r591263|pure_url=yes}} | format = | doi = | accessdate =December 29, 2009 }} Her 2005 album ''[Fine Upstanding Citizen](/source/Fine_Upstanding_Citizen)'' was released by [Koch](/source/Koch_Records). 2009's ''Echo'', released by Crooked Crown, is, according to Sharp, her most personal album to date.{{Citation | last = | first = | author-link = | last2 = | first2 = | title = Maia Sharp opens up on her newest release, Echo | newspaper = [Straus News](/source/Straus_News) | pages = | date = October 8, 2009 | url = }} During her career, Sharp has collaborated with other musicians including [Lisa Loeb](/source/Lisa_Loeb), [Carole King](/source/Carole_King), [Jules Shear](/source/Jules_Shear) and [Jonatha Brooke](/source/Jonatha_Brooke). As a songwriter, her songs have been recorded by musicians including [Cher](/source/Cher), [Kim Richey](/source/Kim_Richey), [Amanda Marshall](/source/Amanda_Marshall), [Paul Carrack](/source/Paul_Carrack), [Edwin McCain](/source/Edwin_McCain), [The Dixie Chicks](/source/The_Dixie_Chicks), [Trisha Yearwood](/source/Trisha_Yearwood) and [Kathy Mattea](/source/Kathy_Mattea). She collaborated with [Art Garfunkel](/source/Art_Garfunkel) and Buddy Mondlock on the 2002 album ''[Everything Waits to be Noticed](/source/Everything_Waits_to_be_Noticed)'', Garfunkel's debut as a songwriter.{{Citation | last = Davis | first = Alisha | author-link = | title = Garfunkel debuts as songwriter in trio | newspaper = [CNN](/source/CNN) | pages = | date = October 1, 2002 | url = http://archives.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/Music/10/16/hln.scoop.garfunkel.trio/ | accessdate = December 29, 2009 | archive-date = January 19, 2013 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20130119131802/http://archives.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/Music/10/16/hln.scoop.garfunkel.trio/ | url-status = dead }} Sharp contributed the track "Castaway" to the album ''Music from the Aisle of Lesbos'', an album featuring various lesbian artists from different genres.{{Cite web | title = Music from the Aisle of Lesbos | website = Amazon | url = https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001AD1P5U/ | accessdate =December 29, 2009 }} In 2009 Sharp opened for [Bonnie Raitt](/source/Bonnie_Raitt) on several dates. She started a national concert tour in October 2009.{{Citation | last = | first = | author-link = | title = Gallery: Maia Sharp performs at Ohio University Southern | newspaper = [The Herald-Dispatch](/source/The_Herald-Dispatch) | pages = | date = October 7, 2009 | url = http://www.herald-dispatch.com/multimedia/galleries/news/x1650441519/Gallery-Maia-Sharp-performs-at-Ohio-University-Southern | accessdate =December 29, 2009 }} ==Discography== ===Solo albums=== * 1997: ''Hardly Glamour'' * 2002: ''[Maia Sharp](/source/Maia_Sharp_(album))'' * 2005: ''[Fine Upstanding Citizen](/source/Fine_Upstanding_Citizen)'' * 2006: ''Eve and the Red Delicious'' * 2009: ''Echo'' * 2012: ''Change the Ending'' * 2015: ''The Dash Between the Dates'' * 2021: ''Mercy Rising'' * 2023: ''Reckless Thoughts'' * 2025: ''Tomboy'' ===Collaborations=== * 2002: ''[Everything Waits to Be Noticed](/source/Everything_Waits_to_Be_Noticed)'' (with [Art Garfunkel](/source/Art_Garfunkel) and Buddy Mondlock) ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== * {{Official website|http://maiasharp.com/}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Sharp, Maia}} Category:20th-century American LGBTQ people Category:20th-century American singer-songwriters Category:20th-century American women singers Category:21st-century American LGBTQ people Category:21st-century American women singers Category:American country singer-songwriters Category:American lesbian musicians Category:American LGBTQ songwriters Category:American LGBTQ women singers Category:American women country singers Category:California State University, Northridge, alumni Category:Country musicians from California Category:Lesbian singers Category:Lesbian songwriters Category:LGBTQ people from California Category:Living people Category:Singer-songwriters from California Category:Year of birth missing (living people) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Maia Sharp](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maia_Sharp) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maia_Sharp?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.