His first hit was a song synonymous with heartbreak, but Kevin Sharp's backstory is one of tragic complications — and perseverance. Sharp's first single, "Nobody Knows" sat at the top of the country charts for four weeks in 1996. If anyone knew about long nights, as the song's narrator sings about, it was Sharp.
The country singer survived Ewing's sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, as a teenager. Thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Sharp met record producer David Foster. Sharp went into remission in the early 1990s and began working on his demo tape and sent it to Foster. Foster than introduced Sharp to A&R Representatives, leading to Sharp's signing with Asylum Records in 1996.
Sharp's debut album, Measure of a Man, received a warm welcome thanks to "Nobody Knows." The song is in fact a cover of R&B artist Tony Rich's song. For Rich, it peaked at #11 on the soul singles chart and #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. A side-by-side comparison of the two versions illustrates that the lines between country music and R&B are purely political. That said, Sharp's version is more stripped-down, allowing the singer's pain to take center stage.
In the music video, directed by Jeffrey Phillips, Sharp confronts the aftermath of a breakup. He checks into a motel and confronts his future.
Unfortunately, Sharp's follow-up albums were not as successful as Measure of a Man. However, there's more to Sharp than his music: he used his platform to support the Make-A-Wish Foundation and was a motivational speaker. Sharp died on April 19, 2014, at the age of 43, due to complications from previous stomach surgeries. Kevin Sharp used his brief time with us to pursue his passions and to lift up those around him — the true measure of a man.
"Nobody Knows" Lyrics
I pretend that I'm glad you went away
But these four walls close in more every day
And I'm dying inside and nobody knows it but me
Like a clown I put on a show
The pain is real even if nobody knows
And I'm crying inside and nobody knows it but me
Why didn't I say the things I needed to say
How could I let my angel get away
Now my world is just a tumblin' down
I can see it so clearly, but you're nowhere around
The nights are lonely, the days are so sad
And I just keep thinkin' about the love that we had
And I'm missing you and nobody knows it but me
No one knows
How blue can I get? You can ask my heart
Just like a jigsaw puzzle it's been torn all apart
A million words couldn't say just how I feel
A million years from now, you know, I'll be loving you still
Nights are lonely, the days are so sad
And I just keep thinkin' about the love that we had
And I'm missing you and nobody knows it but me
