Deke Sharon

Deke Sharon (born December 12, 1967) is an American singer, arranger, composer, director, producer and teacher of a cappella music, and is one of the leaders and promoters of the contemporary a cappella community and a pioneer of the contemporary a cappella style, referred to as "the father of contemporary a cappella" by some authors.

Early life

Deke Sharon was born and raised in San Francisco. He started singing in choirs at age five, including the San Francisco Boys Chorus, in which he toured America and performed with Pavarotti. He attended Town School and San Francisco University High School where he sang in and directed a barbershop and doo-wop quartet all four years.

College

He spent his college years in Boston, graduating cum laude from Tufts University and the New England Conservatory of Music where he studied with Ran Blake, Dominique Eade and Alan Fletcher (composer).

In college, he directed the collegiate a cappella group the Tufts Beelzebubs, transforming the group's sound to reflect modern rock, with intricate instrumental vocalizations including being the first to integrate vocal percussion. The 1990–1991 Beelzebubs album Foster Street that he directed musically, co-produced and largely arranged is credited with giving birth to the contemporary a cappella sound.