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Sonny Sharrock was a pioneering American free-jazz guitarist, born on August 27, 1940, in Ossining, New York. He made his mark in the '60s and early '70s, collaborating with notable artists such as Miles Davis, Pharoah Sanders, Roy Ayers, and Herbie Mann. During this period, he recorded three solo LPs featuring his wife on vocals before stepping back from the music scene following their divorce in 1978. In the early '80s, Sharrock returned to music after meeting Bill Laswell, who reintroduced him to the scene. He became part of a free-rock-jazz-noise quartet with Ronald Shannon Jackson and Peter Brötzmann from 1986 to 1990. Throughout the '80s and '90s, Sharrock was active in various free improvisation and noise ensembles, merging elements of jazz, metal, and punk. He released numerous recordings as both a solo artist and bandleader starting in 1986 until his death on May 25, 1994, in Ossining, New York. His work included highly acclaimed projects on Laswell’s Axiom Records, collaborating once again with Pharoah Sanders, and he also contributed as a guest artist on many other records, including those by Material, Machine Gun, Ginger Baker, Nicky Skopelitis, and F. Robert Lloyd.

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