Omar Sharriff, Boogie Woogie Man,

January 8, 2012

A memorial service for Boogie Woogie and blues piano legend Omar Sharriff was held on Saturday, Jan. 14, at 1 p.m. at the Marshall Convention Center.

Omar Sharriff died at his home, evidently from a self inflicted gunshot wound, in Marshall on January 8, 2012. He was 73. Born David Alexander Elam on March 10, 1938 in Shreveport,La., to Tom Elam and Susie Hill Elam, Omar’s family returned to Marshall while he was still an infant. He grew up in Marshall and graduated from Pemberton High School in 1955, then moved to Oakland, California. At the time of his death he was Marshall’s Birthplace of Boogie Woogie artist-in-residence and was affectionately known throughout the city as “the Boogie Woogie Man.”

Music was a compelling factor in Omar’s life from the beginning. He was named after his father’s good friend, Dave “Black Ivory King” Alexander, a Shreveport Boogie Woogie piano player whom Huddie “Leadbelly” Ledbetter cited as a major influence on hismusical style.  Omar first heard Boogie Woogie music being played by hisfather, Tom, who was a muleskinner in logging camps around Caddo Lake and inall likelihood learned the music himself from the generation that created it inthe barrel houses in that area.  Because of his musical lineage, Omar wasoften referred to as the last “living link” to the originators ofthe Boogie Woogie style.

Performing as Dave Alexander on the West Coast, Omar developed a reputation as a powerful and uniquely talented artist who ranked among the greats in blues and Boogie Woogie.  In the 1970s, he began performing under the name Omar Sharriff.  He was a self-taught master of the piano whose recordings include “The Raven, “The Rattler,”“Dirt On the Ground,” and “Badass.”

He shared the stage with and counted among his friends some of the greatest blues artists of all time, including Muddy Waters, Lloyd Glenn, T Bone Walker, B.B.King, Big Mama Thornton, Bo Diddley, Albert King, Nina Simone and many others.  In 1977, Contemporary Keyboard magazine listed Ray Charles, Mose Allison and Omar Sharriff as its three favorite blues pianists. Omar regularly appeared at major blues festivals which included San Francisco, Sacramento, and Chicago.  He was featured in several European tours and at the time of his death plans were underway for a two week tour of France this Spring.

By 2006, Omar had double bypass heart surgery in Sacramento, California, where he had been living and performing for over a decade.  Health problems caused him considerable difficulties over the next several years and by 2009 he performed infrequently.  In 2010, after a 55 year absence, he returned to his hometown of Marshall, Texas to headline a Boogie Woogie Homecoming concert celebrating the findings of musicologist John Tennison, M.D. that historical research indicated that the origination of Boogie Woogie music could be traced to Marshall and its role as the headquarters of the Texas & Pacific Railway in the 1870s.  In February of 2010, Omar Sharriff moved to Marshall.

In addition to weekly shows at a downtown club, Omar also performed regularly at Marshall’s Second Saturday events, the Boogie Woogie Ball, the Fireant Festival, and many concerts. He was a headliner at the 2011 T Bone Walker Blues Fest in Linden, Texas where he shared with T Bone’s daughter Bernita his memories of playingwith her father while Omar was still in his teens.  In recent weeks he had formed a new trio with bassist Carl Mitchell and drummer Mike Mitchell and was preparing to record new material.

Omar is survived by a son, David Alexander Elam, Jr. of North Hollywood, California, a nephew, Clyde Elum of Longview, and a number of cousins in Texas and California. He was loved and appreciated by his many fans and friends in Marshall and around the world.  He brought much joy to all who ever saw and heard him play.  He will be greatly missed and never forgotten.  The world of music has lost a great artist, but the recordings he left behind will give proof to his genius forever.

A memorial service was held at the Marshall Convention Center on Saturday, January 14 at 1 PM.  Doors were open for public viewing at 12:30pm.   Burial at Algoma Cemetery followed the ceremony. Viewing and visitation was also held at People’s Funeral Home Friday, January 13 from 2 PM to 7 PM. Memorials may be made to Marshall Main Street, P.O. Box 698, Marshall, TX 75671.