'Ladies & Gentlemen, live via satellite, from the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville Tennessee, home of the 'Grand Old Opry,' would you please welcome, from Manchester England:''

Mr DAVE SHARP

With these words echoing from every television set in the heartland of blue collar America, the solo career of Dave Sharp, co-founder and lead guitarist of British rock band, The Alarm, was launched in the United States in 1991.

Fifteen minutes later, centre stage at the Ryman Auditorium, a shadowy, lone figure, Dave Sharp-Brit rock guitar player turned troubadour-had found his way into the hearts and minds of an American core country audience with the song ''Hard Travlin,'' no mean feat for a boy from Salford.

It had all begun in 1989, a year, which had seen the US release of the Alarm's 5th coast-to-coast hit album Change and #1 AOR single ''Sold Me Down The River.''

Band / Solo

Dave Sharp & the Roots Band