Sharon Little (born c. 1980Wenner, Gus. "What's up with...Sharon Little", ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

'', September 18, 2008. ) is an American singer-songwriter from

North Wales, Pennsylvania North Wales is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It is a suburb of Philadelphia and is one of the three historic population centers that make up the North Penn Valley, which is centered on the borough of Lansdale. It is approximately ...

Early life

Little was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. She attended

North Penn High School North Penn High School is a part of the North Penn School District and is located in Towamencin Township, Pennsylvania, about a mile outside of Lansdale borough, 25 miles northwest of Philadelphia, along Valley Forge Road (Pennsylvania Route 3 ...

Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Montgomery County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the third-most populous county in Pennsylvania and the 73rd-most populous county in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the county was 856,553 ...

Career

While working as a waitress in Philadelphia, Little performed with local bands and independently released an album, ''Drawing Circles'', in 2006 before being signed to CBS Records in early 2008.Gardner et al. "The talent before the star storm", ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virg ...

'', July 17, 2008. She was subsequently chosen as the

opening act A opening act, also known as a warm-up act, support act, or supporting act, is an entertainment act (musical, comedic, or otherwise), that performs at a concert before the featured act, or "headliner". Rarely, an opening act may perform again a ...

for

Robert Plant Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948) is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the English rock band Led Zeppelin for all of its existence from 1968 until 1980, when the band broke up following th ...

Alison Krauss Alison Maria Krauss (born July 23, 1971) is an American bluegrass-country singer and musician. She entered the music industry at an early age, competing in local contests by the age of 8 and recording for the first time at 14. She signed with ...

, and

T Bone Burnett Joseph Henry "T Bone" Burnett III (born January 14, 1948) is an American record producer, guitarist and songwriter. He rose to fame as a guitarist in Bob Dylan's band during the 1970s. He has received multiple Grammy awards for his work in film ...

on their North American ''

Raising Sand ''Raising Sand'' is a collaborative studio album by rock singer Robert Plant and bluegrass-country singer Alison Krauss. It was released in October 2007 by Rounder Records. ''Raising Sand'' won Album of the Year at the 2008 Americana Music H ...

'' tour. Little's first album with CBS, ''Perfect Time for a Breakdown,'' was released on May 27 of that year. As part of her deal with CBS Records, several of her songs have been featured on CBS programs such as ''

NUMB3RS ''Numbers'' (stylized as ''NUMB3RS'') is an American crime drama television series that was broadcast on CBS from January 23, 2005, to March 12, 2010, for six seasons and 118 episodes. The series was created by Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heu ...

'' and ''

NCIS NCIS or N.C.I.S. may refer to: Law enforcement * National Criminal Intelligence Service, the predecessor to the Serious Organised Crime Agency of the United Kingdom * Naval Criminal Investigative Service, a United States law enforcement and intelli ...

''. The song "Follow That Sound" from ''Perfect Time for a Breakdown'' was also chosen as the theme for the A&E series ''

The Cleaner A cleaner is an industrial or domestic worker who cleans. Cleaner(s) or The Cleaner(s) may also refer to: Cleaning * Cleaning agent, a substance used to remove dirt, stains, etc. * Cleanser, a product used to cleanse, such as a facial cleanser * ...

''. She performed the song in the show's fourth episode and another track from that album, "Spaceship," in a sequence shot in New York's 34th Street subway station for an episode of '' CSI: NY''. Little continued touring through 2008 and 2009 with, among others,

Chris Isaak Christopher Joseph Isaak (born June 26, 1956) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional actor. He is widely known for his breakthrough hit and signature song " Wicked Game", as well as other songs such as "Blue Hotel", "Baby D ...

Al Green Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), better known as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Take Me to the River", ...

and

Jonny Lang Jon Gordon Langseth Jr. (born January 29, 1981), known as Jonny Lang, is an American blues, gospel, and rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He has made five albums that have charted on the top 50 of the ''Billboard'' 200 chart and has w ...

. ''Perfect Time for a Breakdown'' reached No. 48 on the

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Heatseekers chart.

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

''Paper Doll'', Sharon's newest album, was produced by Grammy-winner

Don Was Don Edward Fagenson (born September 13, 1952), known professionally as Don Was, is an American musician, record producer and record executive. Primarily a bass player, Was co-founded the funk-rock band Was (Not Was). In later years he produced s ...

and is set for release in early 2011. Select tracks, including the title track "Paper Doll" and "Shake and Shiver," will be digitally released in advance of the album, in the fall of 2010.

''Perfect Time for a Breakdown''

Released in May 2008 just prior to embarking on a national tour with

, and

for their ''Raising Sand'' album, ''Perfect Time for a Breakdown'' was Sharon Little's first release for CBS Records. It also continued her collaboration with songwriting partner Scot Sax (formerly of the band Wanderlust). Containing 11 original compositions, including the lead track "Follow That Sound", which became the theme song for the Benjamin Bratt series on A&E's ''

''. The album received critical acclaim from many prominent media outlets, including ''

'' and ''

'', which wrote that, "Little's debut, ''Perfect Time for a Breakdown'', showcases her deep, husky vocals over country-tinged folk rock that recalls Sheryl Crow and Jewel." Songs from ''Perfect Time for a Breakdown'' has been featured on numerous TV programs, including ''

'', ''

Ghost Whisperer ''Ghost Whisperer'' is an American supernatural television series, which ran on CBS from September 23, 2005, to May 21, 2010. The series follows the life of Melinda Gordon (Jennifer Love Hewitt), who has the ability to see and communicate wit ...

'', '' CSI: NY'', ''

'', and ''

The Good Wife ''The Good Wife'' is an American legal and political drama television series that aired on CBS from September 22, 2009, to May 8, 2016. It focuses on Alicia Florrick, the wife of the Cook County State's Attorney, who returns to her career in ...

'', and has sold over 20,000 copies to date.

''Paper Doll''

Returning to the studio, this time with producer

, Sharon Little's sophomore effort for CBS Records offers a broader musical palate, encompassing pop, rock, R&B and electronic soul in a ten-song manifesto of empowerment, independence, and a chronicle of the ups and downs of personal relationships. Two of its tracks, "Paper Doll" and "Shake and Shiver," will be released on a digital EP, along with a remix version of "Shake and Shiver" and a live version of another album track, "Pluto," in the fall of 2010. Release of the full album is unknown.

List of Little songs featured in television programs

Discography

Albums

* ''Drawing Circles'' (2006) * ''Perfect Time for a Breakdown'' (2008) * ''Paper Doll'' (2010)

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Little, Sharon 1980 births Living people Singers from Philadelphia Singer-songwriters from Pennsylvania