Sharp, Brady left musical mark in area

His given name was Michael Murray Sharp. But anyone who enjoyed his musical and comedy talents knew him affectionately as Mickey Sharp, an affable, loving and lovable man who entertained thousands of people in the region during his career.

"He was an excellent musician and played numerous clubs in the area," Warren Sheppick, of Fallowfield Township, a longtime musician and orchestra leader, said of Sharp. "He and Glenn Brady worked together for several years and always did a great job."

Sharp, who died Dec. 20 at age 72, was a native and lifelong resident of Uniontown.

Brady occasionally used the last name Hammond, which he took from Hammond Organ.

"The Uniontown area has produced many outstanding musicians over the years," Sheppick said. "Mickey certainly was one of the best."

Sharp and Brady, who hailed from Charleroi, joined forces in February 1965 and immediately became crowd favorites at the Trocadero Motor Lodge in Rostraver Township. They cut an album, Trocadero Motor Lodge Presents "Two for the Show," in the mid-'60s, not long before the popular club, restaurant and motel was gutted by a $100,000 fire on Feb. 9, 1967.

The album, a collector's item to some vinyl purists, was pressed at King Records in Cincinnati, Ohio, which also designed the cover for the TML label. King Records, and its sister label, DeLux, was the home of such artists as James Brown, Hank Ballard and the Midnighters and the original Platters. Jack W. Simon of radio station WESA in Charleroi was the recording engineer for the album by Sharp and Brady, and Bette Wagner, longtime bookkeeper and accountant at WESA, composed the liner notes.

"Their sound is excitingly different ... a new experience in listening pleasure," Wagner wrote. "They have one of the most vibrant, exciting sounds around. The up-tunes sparkle ... there's new flavor in the old."

The album, featuring Sharp on the electric organ and vocals and Brady on drums, offers such standards as "Satin Doll," "Spanish Eyes," "You Are My Sunshine," "Teach Me Tonight," "Misty" and a medley of "Josephine," "Red Roses" and "It's A Sin to Tell A Lie." It also features two original compositions by Sharp and Brady, "Jazz For Joey" and the title track, "Two For the Show."

"Their album is unique in that it is done with only Mickey and Glenn, without the use of additional musicians for background, nor any trick recording devices," Wagner wrote.

"Mickey's organ artistry shows the originality of his talent from his renditions of lush, romantic ballads ... to the unique rock version of 'You Are My Sunshine.' And when he sings, I can compare him only to the great Joe Mooney," she continued. "Glenn is a perfect complement on the drums with his subtle brush work and dramatic drum interludes. He also acts as straight man to Sharp's hilarious comedy routines in their nightclub act."

In addition to his excellence on the keyboards, Sharp possessed an innate gift of humor.

"I had the pleasure of seeing Glenn and Mickey perform at the Uniontown Holiday Inn when they opened that huge recreation area (the Holidome) there," Sheppick recalled. "What a treat it was watching and listening to them. Mickey had the audience in stitches with his comedy routines, and Glenn was the perfect straight man. And, of course, their music was superb."

Sharp, who began his music career as a drummer, worked Las Vegas and performed in all 50 states as well as on the international scene. His long and colorful resume also included performances at the 1958 World's Fair in Belgium and for the Queen of England. He was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force., where he won a world championship in competition among military performers in Frankfurt, Germany. He also took part in a tour to entertain the troops and worked with the Bob Hope Show in that capacity.

In addition to their busy schedule at such area clubs as the Trocadero, Tony's Lounge and the Charleroi Elks, to name a few, Sharp and Brady also enjoyed a long and successful run in Florida. They performed as a duo for several years but also held the spotlight at various times as the Mickey Sharp Trio, with other musicians completing the threesome.

Brady, who had his own combo before teaming up with Sharp, was very much a part of the area's entertainment lineup for many years.

In her liner notes for the Two For The Show album, Bette Wagner pointed out that Brady worked for 15 years with the Frankie Barr Orchestra at the Twin Coaches supper club. Sheppick, who also played the Coaches in addition to leading his own bands, combos and orchestras, remembers those days.

"Glenn was an outstanding drummer and fit in well with the big name entertainers who played at the Twin Coaches," Sheppick said. "You never knew what to expect in terms of arrangements when those singers and musicians came to town. But Glenn never missed a beat."

When Barr was away from the Twin Coaches stage for several months, Sheppick recalled, Brady took on double duties as the musicians' booking agent.

"Jess Wilson, who was an excellent vocalist, fronted the band as the leader while Frankie was gone, but Glenn was in charge of hiring the musicians," said Sheppick, who played clarinet and saxophone. "That wasn't always an easy task, because some of the singers needed musicians who were specialists, you know, violins and the like. Somehow, Glenn always found them."

The Twin Coaches, heralded as one of the top nightclubs in the country during the '40s and '50s, featured such headliners as Dean Martin, the McGuire Sisters, Liberace, Jack Jones, Bobby Vinton, Johnny Mathis, Pearl Bailey and the Supremes.

Brady and the late Wilbur Consonery were partners in a finance company in Charleroi for a number of years. And they shared musical talents.

"Wilbur played the saxophone and also was with the house band at the Twin Coaches," Sheppick said.

Consonery's brother, Phil Consonery, who lives in Fayette City, was a trumpet player with Sheppick's first formal group, the Lou Kelly Combo.

Brady also made his mark as the drummer for the Knight Kaps, another popular area band that gained a claim to fame when they were featured for 24 successive weeks during the Twist rage at the Holiday House in Monroeville.

Following the Holiday House run, the Knight Kaps joined Canonsburg's Four Coins for two weeks at the Thunderbird in Las Vegas and then returned home for a successful stay at the Peppermint Lounge West in Brentwood.

In addition to Brady, the Knight Kaps, who also performed at the Trocadero Motor Lodge, the VFW in Charleroi and Patti's in Monongahela, also included Johnny Savo, Joe Kennedy, Jimmy Magnetta and Jim Merchant.

Savo and Magnetta, both of Washington, were getting ready for a night's work when another Valley musician, Steve Banas of Monessen, phoned them in Washington about the Feb. 9 fire at The Trocadero.

"We got here as fast as we could," Savo said as he arrived at the scene of the fire.

The musicians' chief concern was their expensive equipment in the bar-lounge section of the Trocadero. They went into the smoke-filled lounged and checked on the high-priced organ and its components, covered it and then stood by for several hours to keep guard.

Brady, who lived in Carroll Township and was performing with the Knight Kaps at the time, said the musical gear was the first thing he thought of when heard about the fire.

"I came out here as fast as I could," Brady told The Valley Independent. "I wanted to check the equipment and get it out if it was in danger and then call Johnny or Jim."

Brady, like many of the area's legendary musicians, worked with large and small groups, full orchestras, combos, quartets and trios. As a duo, he and Mickey Sharp wrote a special chapter in the area's entertainment history books.

"No question about it, they were a great pair," Sheppick said.