Todd Sharpville is a London-born blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is associated with blues and rhythm and blues, and he builds his work around strong blues playing, pop-influenced song-writing and lyrics.

Career

In 1994 he wins Best Album for his Red Lightnin Records debut, Touch Of Your Love. The following year he wins Best Guitarist in the British Blues Connection awards, ahead of Eric Clapton and Gary Moore.

His follow-up album, The Meaning Of Life, is a guest-heavy record that receives strong critical attention. It features contributions from Mick Taylor, Snowy White, Leo Sayer and Eugene “Hideaway” Bridges, along with Duke Robillard, Kim Wilson and Joe Louis Walker.

Style and reputation

Sharpville is described as a soulful blues guitarist and as a songwriter and lyricist with a reputation for combining pop sensibility with blues feeling. His playing and writing are linked to a strong emotional directness, and his songs include material shaped by personal experience.

Personal background

He is born in London in 1970. He is also described as coming from a titled aristocratic family with royal lineage, giving him an unusual background within the blues world.

Personal themes in his writing

During the pre-production for The Meaning Of Life, his father dies, and that loss is reflected in the recordings, especially on the title track, which he dedicates to his dad. He also writes the ballads “Why Does It Rain” and “Busted In Pieces” while recovering from reactive depression in a British mental hospital after the breakdown of his marriage.

Public life

His private life and personal difficulties become part of his public profile, including a four-year child contact battle after a turbulent divorce that places him at the centre of the fathers’ rights debate. One of his songs is used by the US wing of Fathers 4 Justice on the homepage of its official website. He also declines an offer from the UK Conservative Party to stand for election as a proposed member of parliament.