Stuart Scharf

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Stuart Martin Scharf (1941 – November 8, 2007) was an American composer, guitarist, and record producer.^[1]

Biography

Scharf grew up in Crown Heights and attended Winthrop Junior High School. A mathematics major in college, he graduated with honors from the City College of New York in 1962.^[1]

Scharf was a friend of guitarist Jay Berliner, who influenced his career. During the early 1960s, he was the lead guitarist for folk-singer Leon Bibb. He also worked with arranger Walter Raim and folk-singer Judy Collins as well as bassist Bill Lee (father of Spike Lee).

For several years, he partnered with Martin Gersten, chief engineer of WNCN, in a recording studio at 18 Jones Street in Greenwich Village. They shared this space with folk music broadcaster Skip Weshner.

Scharf was a prolific

In 1980, he moved to Hamilton Township, Monroe County, Pennsylvania, where he continued his recording business.^[2]

Discography

As sideman

With Charles Earland

• Charles III (Prestige, 1973)

With J. J. Johnson and Kai Winding

• Betwixt & Between (A&M/CTI, 1969)

With Al Kooper

• You Never Know Who Your Friends Are (Columbia, 1969)
• Easy Does It (Columbia, 1970)
• Naked Songs (Columbia, 1973)

With Hubert Laws

• The Rite of Spring (CTI, 1971)

With Pearls Before Swine

• Beautiful Lies You Could Live In (Reprise, 1971)

With Phil Woods

• Greek Cooking (Impulse!, 1967)

As producer

With Spanky and Our Gang

• Like to Get to Know You (Mercury, 1968)
• "Anything You Choose b/w Without Rhyme or Reason" (Mercury, 1969) wrote 6 songs for this album, including the politically-significant 'Give a Damn', which was adopted as a theme song by the New York Urban Coalition, and by New York Mayor John Lindsay during his 1969 re-election campaign.

Notes