European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 30, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse Monday May 30, 1977 the stars and stripes Poge 9 former airman releases single sex Butcher Aims for music career a Sharp by Rick Maze staff writer Bremen Germany is one month ago Al Sharp was an air Force Butcher working during the Day at the Mildenhall air base commissary in England and performing As a Singer at night in clubs in the , Sharp is a different Man. He has released a single never Gonna leave you which won him a spot on the German television program Musil Daden Here and he is hoping to become one of the . S great soul singers. The change in Sharp s life came on april 22, the Day he left the air Force and had his first record released. It was just one Lucky Day for me the 28-year-old Singer said adding that his birthday was april 21. Suddenly everything is going right. I have always wanted to make a career in music and now everything is meshing. I headed the right direction,".he said before performing before a live audience in the television studios of radio Bremen. His appearance on German television could be the biggest break of his life but he passed it off saying i know i m going to do it he had performed on to once before on British broadcasting corporation where he was billed As the singing Butcher. Sharp started singing his last year in High school in new York City when to formed a band called shamrocks with two other played a lot in clubs in Harlem he said. His stint with the group lasted two years then he entered the air Force As a Jet engine Mechanic. Aviano family services publishing colouring Book of scenes of Italy Byda Synovec staff writer Aviano Italy is the family services office Here is publishing a 48-Page colouring Book entitled Ciao italia and featuring familiar scenes of Italy. The Book will go on Sale in mid june for $1.25, authorities said. The drawings were done by students military personnel dependents and a few italians said Marie Martin family serv ices adviser who added that the women working at the Center came up with the idea to publish the Book to raise funds for the Center. We d like it to be a souvenir or Memen to of Italy appealing to people of All Ages she said. She said the 47 drawings that appear in the Book were selected from the nearly 75 drawings submitted to the family services Center Here. The Only Reward we can offer she continued is the satisfaction of having a signed picture published. However we do plan to acknowledge All participants in an appropriate she said that the family services officials who Are All volunteers had mixed the historical scenes of Italy with Ever Day scenes of italian interest in the project when we started was unbelievable Martin the idea was out everybody on base stated calling and submitting pictures. The front cover was done by an italian artist who donated it to us. And an airman who works in graphics did the Back Martin said that people can order Chebook by writing to a map of family serv ices Apo us forces 09293. People writing for the Book should in clude $1.55 to cover the Cost of the Book and handling expenses she said. Drawing for Aviano family services co Torim Book were done by americans and Lull it he served a four year tour in upstate new York where he performed at military and civilian clubs in the four years of it i was ready for something new. I really wanted to get into the entertainment Field and i knew i was t going to do it in the air Force in up state new but after he left the air Force civilian life did t treat Sharp very Well. He landed a Job As a Mechanic working on garbage compactors. Jobs were hard to find but at least i had some training he said. He also wrote several songs for a group which were never used because the group never materialized. I was ripped off did t get Money or a one year break in service Sharp reentered the air Force As a sergeant. They said i could t enter As a Jet me chanic unless i had at least eight years prior service but said i could be a Butcher. That was Okay by me Sharp said adding that he would have entered the air Force again no matter what the Job. My wife was pregnant and jobs were hard to he was assigned to Lackland. ,tex., where he Learned the Trade of Butch said that after a while at Lackland he auditioned and was accepted for the air Force decided to take me As a Singer but just after i had purchased All the uni forms and everything special orders came Down sending me to Europe. The orders took precedence Over my assignment to the band. I was angry in fact i did t talk to anyone including my wife for several weeks. I could t believe i was losing what i thought would be my big Chance but Luck was with Sharp now. In eng land he managed to get in with a group performing in military and civilian clubs in the band named the afro dimensions entered the United kingdom soul music contest last year and said the other bands weren t too Happy about us winning. We were just a Bunch of soldiers to it was at the festival that Sharp met the right people got in with a producer and started planning his career As a Singer. I am working on an album which i think will be Well received. I la make this Promise to the people who will listen to my record no matter what there will always be Quality music on my records i will never put garbage on the Market. I would t release an album that will just make Money it will have he has written a song whatever goes around comes around which was per formed in Canada and Australia. It took 14 years for me to meet my goal and now i m there it feels so Good Sharp his performance on German to. He said what a feeling this is where it s at where i the live studio audience enthusiastically accepted the new performer billed along with such stars As Twiggy Boney m. And , his wife Gerri and three Chil Dren live just outside Mildenhall a and Gerri works As a Telephone operator at the signed with to records Sharp thinks he s on his Way to the top. While i was t so Happy with the air Force when i could t nuke it in the air Force band the people in England were of great help to me. They gave me All the sup port i could ask expects to release an album in the United kingdom this summer but i won t have anything in the . For awhile. That Market is too hard to break Spanish fishing Craft seized Lisbon a naval authorities announced the capture of eight Spanish fish ing boats inside portuguese territorial Waters of f the Southern Algarme coast
