The Sharps were a West Coast 50s singing group that went through several name changes and roles in the burgeoning Los Angeles music scene in the 1950s and 60s. The group consisted of Carl White and Sonny Harris (leads), Al Frazier (tenor), and Turner "Rocky" Wilson Jr (bass). Managed by Lester Sill, half of the producing team with Lee Hazlewood behind Duane Eddy, the Sharps had numerous releases before going to Jamie Records in 1957 with “Come On” b/w “Sweet Sweetheart,” released as Jamie 1040. They had already appeared on Mikes and Chess Records by then. The Sharps had two Jamie releases in 1958: “Look At Me” b/w “Have Love, Will Travel,” released as Jamie 1108, and “Here's My Heart” b/w “Gig-A-Lene,” released as Jamie 1114.
Duane Eddy attributed a large influence on his career to appearing with the Sharps at a performance at the Paramount Theater in Los Angeles to promote Duane’s first release, “Moovin’ ‘n Groovin’.” Not only did the Sharps coach his performance but they also inspired his writing his followup single, “Rebel Rouser,” which Duane likened a performer coming out on stage with a single spotlight before blasting away with the whole band. Besides their own releases, the Sharps were also recruited by Duane’s producer Lee Hazlewood to provide the whoops and hollers in Los Angeles overdubs for Duane’s Phoenix recording sessions. Their vocals on an unreleased take of Duane Eddy's "Forty Miles of Bad Road," which was included in Jamie's 3-CD set of Duane Eddy's The Birth of a Guitar Legend, seemed to presage the Sharps' own greaest hit, "Papa Oo Mow Mow.”
The Sharps also recorded as the Crenshaws in 1961 on Warner Bros and had their greatest success named for another street, on the East Coast this time, specifically the Lower East Side of Manhattan, when they mounted the Top 10 with “Papa Oo Mow Mow” as the Rivingtons.
