Dave Alexander (blues musician)

Dave Alexander, also known by the name of Omar Shariff Omar Hakim Khayam ( born March 10, 1938 in Shreveport, Louisiana; † January 8, 2012 in Marshall, Texas), was an American blues pianist and singer. He is the West Coast Blues attributed.

Life

Born in Louisiana grew Alexander Marshall in Texas. His parents encouraged him to play the piano. 1955 Alexander joined the Navy. In 1957, he moved to Oakland, California, and began to make music in the blues scene of the San Francisco Bay Area. Over time, he has performed with such well-known as Big Mama Thornton, Jimmy Witherspoon, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy and Albert Collins.

1968 Alexander made his own first recordings, which appeared on the sampler Oakland Blues. Early 1970s he published several albums under his birth name. After he assumed the pseudonym Omar Shariff, it took almost two decades before a new album came out.

1970 Alexander played at the Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival, since 1973, often at the San Francisco Blues Festival and toured in Europe.

1993 Alexander was nominated for a Handy Award. He wrote several articles for the magazine Living Blues.

Discography (selection)

• The Rattler (1972 )
• The Dirt on the Ground (1973 )
• Baddass (1996 )
• Omar the Magnificent (1997)
• Anatomy of a Woman ( 1998)
• Black Widow Spider ( 2000)