Sharon Rae North

CONTEMPORARY JAZZ
AND R&B VOCALIST

Alexandria, VA

 

For national Billboard charting artist Sharon Rae North, it’s all about the tone, phrasing, articulation and interpretation of a lyric. Her audiences and fans can tell. She is a masterful manipulator when it comes to her voice, making it go wherever she wants it to. She has a wide vocal range and is known for her delivery. 

She has enthralled and captivated audiences throughout the United States and internationally with her vocal style, subtle confidence and her combination of seriousness and playfulness during shows. 

“Music and singing make me happy,” says Sharon, “It’s a universal art form that everyone understands and enjoys.” Her awareness of that has been keen since she was a little girl in Youngstown, Ohio, listening to some of her parents’ favorite artists, such as Nancy Wilson, King Curtis, Sarah Vaughan, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Parker and so many others. Listening to them and singing along, that little girl envisioned the audiences and venues, and heard the applause…as if they were real. She believed and manifested…and now they are.

But the route was a little circuitous, with Sharon becoming an award-winning journalist and singing on the side. She worked for several years as a television news reporter, anchor and writer, including stints in local news and at CNN in Atlanta. She even taught journalism courses at the University of North Florida, while anchoring the morning news at the former ABC affiliate in Jacksonville and at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. 

In addition to live shows, she’s also a recording artist and songwriter. In summer 2022, on the heels of several EP projects, she released her first 10-song album ‘Silhouette’, recorded with super producers, GRAMMY nominated Chris “Big Dog” Davis and two-time GRAMMY winner Paul Brown.  The project got underway in 2019, pre-pandemic, with the release of the Billboard charting single Moments, featuring saxophonist Marion Meadows. Sessions resumed virtually in 2021 and continued throughout COVID 19. The first single ‘We Should be in Love (Silhouette)’ released in January 2022, which also made the pre-GRAMMY ballot. In 2024 she released her first original holiday song, “Everything I Ask For”, produced by Kevin Flournoy. 

In addition to Billboard, Sharon has had songs on the Smooth Jazz Network chart, Smoothjazz.com, U.K. Soul chart and others, both nationally and internationally and has been in the running for numerous awards, including the Soul Café Radio Indie Soul Awards She is a member of ASCAP, the Recording Academy and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. 

Sharon also has been featured on recordings by the Central Virginia Jazz Orchestra, saxophonist Derwin Daniels, acoustic bassist Jason Jenkins and has performed with or supported Paul Brown, Four80East, Joe Sample, Adrian Crutchfield, Dee Lucas, Patrick Lamb and many more. 

Prior to ‘Silhouette’, in 2016, working with Big Dog, Sharon’s EP ‘Sincerely Yours’ released to great reviews. Two of the five songs made it to the pre-GRAMMY ballot, as well as the entire project, in the Best Jazz Album category. 

Sharon released two projects before ‘Silhouette’, ‘The Way You Make Me Feel’ in 2007 and ‘Gee Baby’ in 2012. 

Throughout her career Sharon has performed at countless venues and events, including but not limited to: Tin Pan (Richmond, VA); Keystone Korner (Baltimore – featured vocalist); Blues Alley (Washington, DC – solo artist, and featured with Paul Brown and with Patrick Lamb); Hippodrome Theater (Richmond, VA); Richmond Music & Jazzfest; Jazz Festival at Maymont (Richmond, VA – 9 consecutive years); Velvet Note (Atlanta, CA); Blu Jazz+ (Akron, OH); Nighttown (Cleveland, OH); Youngstown Wine & Jazzfest (Youngstown, OH), Metropolitan Room (New York City), Triad Theater (New York City); Ohio State Fair (Columbus, OH); Vibrato (Bel Air, CA); Catalina Jazz Club (Hollywood, CA); Humphrey’s Back Stage (San Diego, CA); Bayfest (Mobile, AL); Georgia Aquarium (Atlanta, GA); Sambuca (Atlanta, GA); Ritz Carlton (Greensboro, GA); Speakeasy Jazz (Winston Salem, NC); Isaac Hayes Nightclub & Restaurant (Memphis, TN); Jazz on the Lawn at the Callanwold (Atlanta, GA); Summer Concert Series (Durham, NC); Sunday Jazz Lounge at St. James LIVE (Atlanta, GA); Chalabre en Serenade (France).

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

VENUE & FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

Tin Pan (Richmond, VA)
Keystone Korner (Baltimore – featured vocalist)
Blues Alley (Washington, DC – solo artist, and featured with Paul Brown and with Patrick Lamb) Hippodrome Theater (Richmond, VA)
Richmond Music & Jazzfest; Jazz Festival at Maymont (Richmond, VA – 9 consecutive years)
Velvet Note (Atlanta, CA)
Blu Jazz+ (Akron, OH)
Nighttown (Cleveland, OH)
Youngstown Wine & Jazzfest (Youngstown, OH)
Metropolitan Room (New York City)
Triad Theater (New York City)
Ohio State Fair (Columbus, OH)
Vibrato (Bel Air, CA)
Catalina Jazz Club (Hollywood, CA)
Humphrey’s Back Stage (San Diego, CA)
Bayfest (Mobile, AL)
Georgia Aquarium (Atlanta, GA)
Sambuca (Atlanta, GA)
Ritz Carlton (Greensboro, GA)
Speakeasy Jazz (Winston Salem, NC)
Isaac Hayes Nightclub & Restaurant (Memphis, TN)
Jazz on the Lawn at the Callanwold (Atlanta, GA)
Summer Concert Series (Durham, NC)
Sunday Jazz Lounge at St. James LIVE (Atlanta, GA)
Chalabre en Serenade (France).

 SAMPLE RECORDINGS