Deke Sharon (born December 12, 1967) is an American

singer Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestrat ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

, producer,

author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...

, coach, pioneer, and

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...

music, and is one of the leaders and promoters of the contemporary a cappella community. He has been referred to as "the father of contemporary a cappella" and "the godfather of a cappella".

Early life

Deke Sharon was born and raised in San Francisco. He started singing in choir groups at age five, including the San Francisco Boys Chorus where he toured the US and sang in operas with

Pavarotti Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numerou ...

. He attended Town School for Boys and San Francisco University High School, where he sang lead (second tenor) in the barbershop quartet his freshman year in "The Music Man," and kept it going all four years, learning to direct and arrange a cappella.

College

Sharon spent his college years in Boston, graduating from

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university in Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts, United States, with additional facilities in Boston and Grafton, as well as Talloires, France. Tufts also has several Doctor of Physical Therapy p ...

with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in childhood studies, and a

Bachelor of Music A Bachelor of Music (BMus; sometimes conferred as Bachelor of Musical Arts) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. The degree may be awarded for performance, music ed ...

from the

New England Conservatory of Music The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a Private college, private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. The conservatory is located on Huntington Avenue along Avenue of the Arts (Boston), the Avenue of the Arts near Boston Symphony Ha ...

with a focus on

vocal jazz Vocal jazz or jazz singing is a genre within jazz music where the voice is used as an instrument. Vocal jazz began in the early twentieth century. Jazz music has its roots in blues and ragtime and can also traced back to the Dixieland jazz, New Or ...

, third stream, and

music theory Music theory is the study of theoretical frameworks for understanding the practices and possibilities of music. ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' describes three interrelated uses of the term "music theory": The first is the "Elements of music, ...

In college, he directed the

collegiate a cappella Collegiate a cappella (or college a cappella) ensembles are college-affiliated singing groups, primarily in the United States, and, increasingly, the United Kingdom and Ireland, that perform entirely without musical instruments. The groups are typ ...

group the Tufts

Beelzebubs The Tufts Beelzebubs, frequently referred to as "The Bubs", is a male collegiate a cappella, a cappella group of students from Tufts University that performs a mix of pop, rock, R&B, and other types of music while spreading their motto of "Fun ...

, transforming the group's sound to reflect modern rock, with intricate instrumental vocalizations and the integration of vocal percussion. The 1990–1991 Beelzebubs album ''Foster Street'' that he directed musically is credited with the creation of the modern a cappella sound, most notably vocal percussion. He chose the name "contemporary a cappella" in college to describe this new style. Sharon had to audition three times before he was accepted, as he was seen as "overzealous" during a time when a cappella was not popular, a fact which was mentioned in the book "Pitch Perfect." Beca and Benji in the ''Pitch Perfect'' films are partially based on Sharon. During this time, he decided to make a career of contemporary a cappella and popularize this new style, despite being laughed at and told it was impossible, "like making a career of professional

Tiddlywinks Tiddlywinks is a game played on a flat felt mat with sets of small discs called winks, a pot, which is the target, and a collection of squidgers, which are also discs. Players use a squidger (nowadays made of plastic) to shoot a wink into fl ...

Film

Sharon was the music director and arranger for the film '' Pitch Perfect'', as well as singing on several of the songs, where he was credited on screen as "Male Voice #1." He returned for '' Pitch Perfect 2'', in which he has a brief cameo as the German judge and broadcaster. He helped involve several professional a cappella groups and singers with the film, including The Filharmonic, Penn Masala, and

Pentatonix Pentatonix (abbreviated PTX) are an American a cappella group from Arlington, Texas, consisting of vocalists Scott Hoying, Mitch Grassi, Kirstin Maldonado, Matt Sallee, and Kevin Olusola. Characterized by their pop-style arrangements wit ...

. Sharon also worked with the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

. He returned to music-direct, arrange, and vocally produce for '' Pitch Perfect 3''. He had also arranged for the film, ''

The Social Network ''The Social Network'' is a 2010 American biographical drama film directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin, based on the 2009 book '' The Accidental Billionaires'' by Ben Mezrich. It portrays the founding of social networkin ...

''.

Television

In December 2009, he acted as music director, arranger, coach, and consultant behind the scenes on America's first a cappella reality show competition, titled ''

The Sing-Off ''The Sing-Off'' is an American television singing competition featuring a cappella groups. It debuted on NBC on December 14, 2009, and was produced by Sony Pictures Television and Outlaw Productions, with Mark Burnett's One Three Media (for a t ...

'', and returned in 2010 as one of the show's producers. He also served as Executive Music Producer on the Dutch Sing Off, Sing Off South Africa and Sing-Off China, including several guest appearances as a judge and performer. Along with The House Jacks, he sang and performed the 2011

Monday Night Football ''Monday Night Football'' (often abbreviated as ''MNF'') is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that air on Monday nights. It originally ran on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from 1970 NFL season, 1970 t ...

theme song "Are You Ready for Some Football" with Hank Williams, Jr. He worked with Straight No Chaser on their first PBS special ''Live in New York''. He appeared in front of the camera for the first time on Lifetime's '' Pitch Slapped'' reality show, in which he coached after school high school a cappella group Stay Tuned from

Cherry Hill, New Jersey Cherry Hill is a Township (New Jersey), township within Camden County, New Jersey, Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As a suburb of Philadelphia, the township is part of the South Jersey and Delaware Valley regions. Cherry Hill ...

, focusing both on their musicality and emotional delivery. The show also aired overseas in London, Israel (where its name in Hebrew means "a cappella battle") across Latin America, Indonesia and the Philippines (under the name ''Pitch Battle''). Pitch Battle Finale Judges

As of summer 2017 he is series music director for a new competitive choir show on

BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and Flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includ ...

called '' Pitch Battle'', as well as appearing on camera each episode providing insight and commentary. He was also the third judge for the season one live finale. He judged Eurovision Choir 2019. In 2022 music directed "Best in Snow" for

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

as well as co-arranged/vocal produced the a cappella scenes in Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin.

Performing career

Upon graduation in 1991, he moved back to San Francisco, bringing with him a handful of other collegiate a cappella singers to form The House Jacks, a pioneering a cappella group known for its original music and sound, often called "the original rock band without instruments", in part because they were the first a cappella group with a designated vocal percussionist. HouseJacksHeadshot

The House Jacks have released seven albums (signed to Warner Brothers/Tommy Boy Records in the mid-1990s) and completed several world tours. He has performed with many musicians, including

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...

, Crosby, Stills and Nash,

LL Cool J James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, alongside fellow new school hip ho ...

Run DMC Run-DMC (also formatted Run-D.M.C., RUN DMC, or some combination thereof) was an American hip-hop group formed in Hollis, Queens, New York City in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jam Master Jay, Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as ...

The Temptations The Temptations is an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1961 as The Elgins, known for their string of successful singles and albums with Motown from the 1960s to the mid-1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield ...

, and

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...

. They have won "Best Pop Rock Album" from the Contemporary A Cappella Society, for "Unbroken" (2004), "Level" (2010), and "Pollen (2014). He also performs as a solo artist, with groups such as the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus and at events like Singapore's "Vocal Edge" and directing DCINY's annual "Total Vocal" at Carnegie Hall as well as serving as Emcee for a cappella events, such as the annual Techapella concerts in the San Francisco Bay Area. Studio session credits include the Wii game ''Just Dance Kids 2'' including the songs " The Lion Sleeps Tonight", "

Barbara Ann "Barbara Ann" is a song written by Fred Fassert that was first recorded by the Regents as "Barbara-Ann". Their version was released in 1961 and reached No.13 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. A more well-known version of the song was recor ...

", and " Mahna Mahna".

Arranging

A prolific, award-winning vocal music arranger, he has arranged more than 2,000 songs for a wide range of ensembles, including some of vocal music's best-known groups. The Best Arrangement award at the Colorado Harmony Sweepstakes is named after him, and he has won the best arrangement award at the Harmony Sweepstakes several times since 1991. He was named "favorite arranger" in the 2010 A Cappella Community Awards and won "Best Professional Arrangement" in 2019.

Live music direction and production

He founded and directed a cappella groups at

Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort is an destination resort, entertainment resort complex located about southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of the Wa ...

/ Epcot (American Vybe) and

Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was the first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, ...

(Groove 66). In 2013, he created a new professional a cappella ensemble in New Mexico: "Voasis". In 2014 and 2015 he music-directed the Sing Off Live tour He created Vocalosity for which he was artistic producer, music director, and arranger. They started touring in 2016 and their debut album was released on Universal Classics. In December 2017 he announced the formation of DCappella, a seven-member contemporary a cappella group launched in 2018 that will tour performing arts centers singing music from classic and contemporary

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

films. He serves as the group's co-creator, music director, arranger, album producer and artistic producer integrating modern sounds and technology. He also Music Directed "Disney: The Castle" in

Riyadh Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in th ...

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

in 2023 His production with Columbia Artists Management, "A Cappella Live," toured the US featuring four a cappella acts: Committed (vocal group), The Filharmonic, Women of the World, and

Blake Lewis Blake Colin Lewis (born July 21, 1981) is an American musician, singer and actor who was the runner-up on the American Idol (season 6), sixth season of ''American Idol''. His major label debut album ''A.D.D. (Audio Day Dream)'' was released on D ...

Album production

As a producer of a cappella recordings, he is known for having changed the sound of collegiate a cappella recording via the Beelzebubs' album ''Code Red''. He has arranged and produced multiple albums and tracks for Atlantic Records' Straight No Chaser, including the certified gold "Christmas Cheers". In the early 1990s, he co-founded The Best of College A Cappella (BOCA) compilation, which he now produces annually with Varsity Vocals.

Event production and promotion

In college, he brought the Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival to the East Coast, producing the first Boston regional with the

. Shortly after college he founded the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA), the West and East Coast A Cappella Summits (the first contemporary a cappella conferences), and a number of other a cappella-related projects, programs, and events with the goal of popularizing a cappella. Recent festivals include Aca-West in San Francisco, VoiceJam in Arkansas, Solevoci in Italy, Vocal Asia (in Japan, China, and Taiwan), Aarhus Vocal Festival in Denmark, and Croappella in Croatia where he often hosts the evening concert or competition as well as teach during the day. He is a frequent host and emcee at a cappella events, such as Silicon Valley's "Techapella", The National A Cappella Convention, The annual College Notes event in Walnut Creek CA, "Pacific Harmony" in New Zealand, AKA A Cappella in Singapore, and the Maui Barbershop Festival. Some of the videos he has posted to promote a cappella groups around the world have gone viral. He's also frequently in residency or headlining events at universities such as Indiana U, Midland U and Tufts U and co created as well as emceed the "History of Harmony" concerts with Chicago A Cappella. He's also active in the choral world, presenting at choral festivals, such as the World Choir Games in 2021 in

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

and 2024 in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, World Symposium on Choral Music,

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

Choir Festival, GALA Choruses and Chorus America, as well as the Barbershop community with the

Barbershop Harmony Society The Barbershop Harmony Society, legally and historically named the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America, Inc. (SPEBSQSA), is the first of several organizations to promote and preserve barbersho ...

and Sweet Adelines International His work to popularize and promote a cappella worldwide is now being recognized by major media: "A Capella icis more popular than ever, thanks to this guy" (NPR Here and Now), "Deke Sharon makes a cappella cool again" (NPR All Things Considered).

Organizations

In his college dorm he founded The Contemporary A Cappella Society and The Ultimate A Cappella Arranging Service (which became TotalVocal). Shortly after graduation, he created the Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards ("CARAs"), a cappella's equivalent of the Grammy Awards. He formed the Contemporary A Cappella League, a new national network of adult "post-collegiate" a cappella groups.

Writing

* ''A Cappella Arranging'', his first book, co-authored with Dylan Bell, was published in 2012. * ''A Cappella'', a general interest book covering many aspects of the style, co-authored with Ben Spalding and Brody McDonald, was released in 2015. * ''The Heart of Vocal Harmony'', about how vocal harmony groups can perform with unified emotion, was released in early 2016. * ''A Cappella Warmups for Pop and Jazz Choirs'' and * ''So You Want To Sing A Cappella'' were both released in 2017. * ''Teaching Music Through Performance in Contemporary A Cappella'', the first contemporary a cappella repertoire guide, was released summer 2020 * "A Cappella Arranging 2.0: The Next Level" is coming out in 2024 Biographical Information about Deke Sharon can be found in Mickey Rapkin's ''Pitch Perfect'' (2008), Rick Smolan's ''24 Hours in Cyberspace'' (1996), Joshua Duchan's ''Powerful Voices'' (2012), Alysia Abbott's ''Fairyland'' (2013) Darren Pleasance's "True North" (2023) and Carsten Gerlitz's ''Popchor'' (2018)

Musical theater

The pioneering, first all-a cappella musical on Broadway, ''In Transit'', for which he is co-producer and arranged all the music, opened at the Circle in the Square Theater on Broadway in December 2016. He started working with the production just after their off-Broadway run five years earlier. Vocalosity, a live a cappella theatrical concert production with diverse cast, began touring in January 2016 and has performed in 30 states. He has worked on a cappella musical theatre projects including "Street" and "Our World". He arranged the opening number for

Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End theatre, West End and on Broadway theatre, Broad ...

's new greatest hits musical "Unmasked", a fast-paced mashup of 17 of his greatest hits.

Education

He co-founded and directs Camp Acappella for teens and adults each summer at

Wright State University Wright State University is a public research university in Fairborn, Ohio, United States. Originally opened in 1964 as a branch campus of Miami University and Ohio State University, it became an independent institution in 1967 and was named in ...

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

and teaches the music production class Soup To Nuts periodically. as well as travels to other countries to work with groups in person, such as New Zealand, Brazil, Italy, Sri Lanka and Singapore. His YouTube channel features a variety of educational topics including how to sound like several different instruments. A GE special features him discussing the physics of a cappella. In 2016, he joined the California branch of the

American Choral Directors Association The American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is a non-profit organization with the stated purpose of promoting the field of choral music A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Lat ...

as the first ever Contemporary A Cappella R&R chair. and co-created Acappella.how for google His Camp A Cappella Intensive in Washington DC started in 2022, a partnership with

Ben Folds Benjamin Scott Folds (born September 12, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. After playing in several small independent bands throughout the late 80s and into the early 90s, Folds came to prominence as the f ...

, Planet Word, and the

National Symphony Orchestra The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1930 by cellist Hans Kindler, its principal performing venue is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The NSO regularly ...

Awards

The ''Pitch Perfect'' soundtrack earned several awards, including an RIAA platinum record certification, the American Music Award for best soundtrack, an Online Film and Television Association nomination for Best Music, Adapted Song (Don't You Forget About Me) and an MTV Video Music Award for "Best Musical Moment". The ''Pitch Perfect 2'' soundtrack, which debuted at No. 1 on the

Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists. Sometimes, a rec ...

, secured the American Music Award for best Soundtrack and a Grammy nomination for Best Soundtrack. As album producer, he was nominated for a

Dove Award A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards ceremonies presented annually and have been held in Nashville, Tennessee exce ...

in 2012 (Best Contemporary Gospel Album: Committed). In 2016, he became an honorary member of the

, one of only twenty since 1938, and he was named an honorary member of BYU Vocal Point. In 2017 he was awarded the P.T. Barnum Award for excellence in Entertainment from his alma mater,

. He has received two lifetime achievement awards for his work in a cappella: in 2016 for the 25th anniversary of his founding of thee Contemporary A Cappella Society and in 2018, from the A Cappella Music Awards.

Other

He is known for his ability to replicate a variety of instruments (e.g. trumpet, guitar, flute, violin, muted trumpet, harmonica) with his voice—which he teaches online and via "Singing Instruments" seminars—teaching summer camp for young vocalists, and adjudicating choral festivals around the world. He has worked with many professional pop vocal groups, including

98 Degrees 98 Degrees (stylized as 98°) is an American vocal group consisting of brothers Nick and Drew Lachey, Jeff Timmons, and Justin Jeffre. Their first Christmas album '' This Christmas'' has sold over two million copies and is widely recognized ...

, The Nylons and

Boyz II Men Boyz II Men ( ) is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. Formed in 1985, they have been a trio composed of baritone Nathan Morris, tenor Wanya Morris, Wanyá Mo ...

. Helping groups get started has been an ongoing goal of his for 30 years, which he does by providing free advice, support and arrangements. He also works with organizations philanthropically who support vocal harmony. He served on the CASA board for almost twenty years, often as President or Vice President. Acapellablog named him the number-one "a cappella power player to keep an eye on in 2012", and

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

credits him for "making a cappella cool again". In 2016 he launched an a cappella podcast called "Counterpoint" with co-host Robert Dietz and has appeared on other podcasts. To help promote ''Good Omens'', he arranged several songs for "The Chattering Order of St Beryl," a group of singing nuns., and co-created

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...

's "Sparkappella." When the cult NXIVM tried to use a cappella as a recruiting device, he drew out Keith Raniere in a public forum, resulting in his being put on their list of enemies. He has been featured repeatedly in

Kiplinger's Personal Finance ''Kiplinger Personal Finance'' ( ) is an American personal finance magazine published by Kiplinger since 1947. It claims to be the first American personal finance magazine and to deliver "sound, unbiased advice in clear, concise language". It off ...

for socially responsible investing. He says his life's work is "to get more people singing" because "music can build a better community" as "our country needs to understand the importance of working together". His motto is "Harmony through harmony."

Selected bibliography

Selected discography

References

Sources

* Marine, Craig. (June 24, 1992) ''

San Francisco Examiner The ''San Francisco Examiner'' is a newspaper distributed in and around San Francisco, California, and has been published since 1863. Once self-dubbed the "Monarch of the Dailies" by then-owner William Randolph Hearst and the flagship of the He ...

'' "Home of some very brave singers at the coliseum, A's anthem contest brings out talented and otherwise." Section: News; Page A5. * Carnes, Jim. (May 21, 1993) ''

The Sacramento Bee ''The Sacramento Bee'' is a daily newspaper published in Sacramento, California, in the United States. Since its foundation in 1857, ''The Bee'' has become the largest newspaper in Sacramento, the fifth largest newspaper in California, and the 2 ...

'' "Jacks of all vocal trades." Section: Ticket; Page 15. * Scott, Jane. (October 19, 1993) ''

The Plain Dealer ''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio; it is a major national newspaper. In the fall of 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily an ...

'' (

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

, Ohio) "Jacking up music with edgy a cappella." Section: Arts & Living; Page C14. * Birmingham News (October 7, 1994) ''Crime reports.'' Section: News; Page 2. * Winn, Steven. (March 6, 1996) ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...

'' "'Media' to reopen stage door." Section: Daily Datebook; Page E1. * Eichenwald, Kurt. (June 22, 1997) ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' "Pop/jazz; 'Doo-Wop-a-Doo' will no longer do." Section 2; Page 232. * Eichenwald, Kurt. (July 17, 1997) ''

Albany Times Union The ''Times Union'', or ''Times-Union'', is an American daily newspaper, serving the Capital Region of New York. Although the newspaper focuses on Albany and its suburbs, it covers all parts of the four-county area, including the cities of Tr ...

'' "A cappella groups push vocal limits." Section: Preview; Page 6. *

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

(December 8, 1997) "A Cappella Renaissance." Section: Entertainment. * Roberts, Alison. (February 4, 1999) ''

'' "Mouthin' to it: Boyz nite out takes the a cappella approach to rock 'n' roll." Section: Scene; Page F1. * Muther, Christopher. (February 21, 1999) ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'' "Different sounds of music group aims to make its mark in a cappella." Section: City Weekly; Page 9. * Sharon, Deke. (August 2, 2000) ''

'' "Letters to the editor." Section: News. *

PR Newswire PR Newswire is a distributor of press releases headquartered in Chicago. The service was created in 1954 to allow companies to electronically send press releases to news organizations, using teleprinters at first. The founder, Herbert Muschel, ...

(October 10, 2000) "Internet Radio Is Home for the Adventurous, May Force Traditional Radio to Change Its Tune Says Expert." * Alexander, Sandy. (February 25, 2001) ''

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local, regional, national, and international news. Founded in 1837, the newspaper was owned by Tribune Publi ...

'' "Campuses in tune with singers Music: The voices-only sound of a cappella groups catches on at colleges in Maryland and across the nation." Section: Special Tab; Page 1S. * Alarik, Scott. (April 22, 2001) ''

'' "'B-doom doom doom' they're not your father's a cappella." Section: Northwest weekly; Page 11. * Burrell, Jackie. (March 4, 2006) ''

Contra Costa Times The ''East Bay Times'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Walnut Creek, California, United States, owned by the Bay Area News Group (BANG), a subsidiary of Media News Group, that serves Contra Costa and Alameda counties, in the East ...

'' "Old style, new sounds." Section: Local; Page F4. * Gomeztagle, Frances. (December 14, 2006) '' Colorado Springs Independent'' "Sound effects." Volume 14; Issue 50; Page 28. * McCandish, Laura. (May 19, 2007) ''

'' "Harmonizing the Melting Pot". Section: Local; Page B1. * Terauds, John. (January 27, 2008) ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...

'' "Acappellooza Shows A Cappella Singing on the Rise". Section: Entertainment. * Rapkin, Mickey. (March 23, 2008) ''The New York Times'' "Perfect Tone, in a Key That's Mostly Minor". Section: Style. * Scott Simon. (May 31, 2008)

Weekend Edition ''Weekend Edition'' is a set of American radio news magazine programs produced and distributed by National Public Radio ( NPR). It is the weekend counterpart to the NPR radio program ''Morning Edition''. It consists of ''Weekend Edition Saturday ...

"Perfect Pitch: The Drama of Collegiate A Cappella". * Rapkin, Mickey. ''Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory''. Gotham Books, 2008. * Edgers, Geoff. (May 15, 2011) ''

'' "Voices Carry" Section: Arts and Entertainment.

External links

dekesharon.com
*
Deke Sharon vocal arrangementsIBDBCounterpoint PodcastReddit AMA"Making Choruses Cooler" (Chorus America) a cappella empire"">Verge: "How the man behind "Pitch Perfect's music built an a cappella empire"
*[https://www.insider.com/pitch-perfect-10th-anniversary-behind-scenes-a-cappella-boot-camp-2022-10 Insider: "How 'Pitch Perfect' overcame a tiny budget and an a cappella 'boot camp' that left most of the cast in tears to become a comedy classic"]
The New York Times Podcast: "The Unlikely Rise of an A Cappella Anthem"Radio New Zealand: "Deke Sharon on Finding that Pitch Perfect Vocal"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharon, Deke A cappella 1967 births Living people Composers from San Francisco Tufts University School of Arts and Sciences alumni American male singers American rock singers American music arrangers Singers from San Francisco New England Conservatory alumni The House Jacks members