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Ralph Sharon
Ralph Sharon
Born	September 17, 1923; London, England
Died	March 31, 2015 (aged 91); Boulder, Colorado, United States
Genres	Jazz
Occupation(s)	Pianist, composer, arranger, conductor
Instrument	Piano
Years active	1940s - 2015

Ralph Simon Sharon (September 17, 1923 – March 31, 2015) was a British-American jazz pianist and arranger.^[1] He is best known for working with Tony Bennett as his pianist on numerous recordings and live performances.

Biography

Ralph Sharon was born in London, England, to a British mother and Latvian-born father.

Sharon's musical career began in England, where he became pianist to Ted Heath in 1946. By late 1949, he was leading the Ralph Sharon Sextet, which included Victor Feldman as percussionist. He would tour with Feldman until 1951.^[2]^[3] He emigrated to the United States in early 1954, becoming a naturalized citizen of the United States five years later.^[4]

In 1957, Ralph Sharon became pianist, arranger, and musical director for Tony Bennett, releasing The Beat of My Heart the same year. Sharon became Bennett's "man behind the music" for much of the next 45 years, recording Bennett's discography and touring with Bennett until his retirement in 2002. All nine of Bennett's Grammy Awards over this period were for studio recordings directed by Sharon.^[5]

The song "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" was given to Bennett by Sharon, who had received the sheet music from his friends, composers George C. Cory Jr. and Douglass Cross, in 1960. A year after placing the sheet music in a drawer and forgetting about it, Sharon re-discovered the manuscript by chance while packing for a tour that included San Francisco. While Bennett and Sharon liked the song, they were convinced it would only be a local hit. Instead, the tune became Bennett's signature song.^[5]^[6]

Splitting up with Bennett in 1965, he spent the next 14 years working with a series of musicians, including Robert Goulet, Rosemary Clooney, Mel Torme, Duke Ellington, and Chris Connor. He was also a jazz pianist in his own right, recording a series of his own albums. He would reunite with Bennett in 1979; the two would not separate again until his retirement.^[1]^[3]^[7]

On his recording of "I'll Be Home for Christmas" from the 1992 CD Snowfall: The Tony Bennett Christmas Album, Bennett is heard at the end of the song exclaiming "Take me home, Ralph!" as Sharon plays the last notes of the song.^[8]

Retiring to Boulder, Colorado from on-the-road work with Bennett at 78, Ralph Sharon continued to perform in the Denver metropolitan area until shortly before his death. Tony Bennett and the Ralph Sharon Trio performed at various jazz venues, including Dazzle Restaurant & Lounge in Denver. He died from natural causes on March 31, 2015.^[5]