Biography

An Islander by choice, Steve Sharratt is an award winning musician and writer who has called Prince Edward Island home since moving from Ontario in 1980.

He's penned songs for the likes of the Cape Breton Rankin's, has won numerous awards for both his journalistic and fictional writing, and has enjoyed having numerous songs recorded by an array of Maritime and Canadian singers.

Steve has just returned with fiddler Roy Johnstone from a second musical tour of Scotland and the Isle of Skye. They were invited to Scotland just last month by the Highland Council to perform and record a compilation CD commemorating the departures from Skye and landings in Orwell, P.E.I. of the "Selkirk" settlers. Together they were commissioned to write music to celebrate the 200th anniversary of that treacherous crossing in 1803 for 800 Highland Scots.

Steve showcased with Roy to a standing ovation at the 2002 East Coast Music Awards in St. John, New Brunswick and together they perform the "Hot Plaid" show every summer Sunday night at the Benevolent Irish Society Hall in Charlottetown.

He plays guitar, mandolin, fiddle, ukelele, banjo, accordion, piano and is equally at home with a rousing sea shanty as he is a tender ballad. Sharratt has recorded a total of four CDs in the past 20 years with two different groups - Jar O'Comfort and Redstone, and, he has either produced, performed, or written songs for an array of Maritime recordings from Rita and Mary Rankin to Kerri Wynne MacLeod. He just released his own solo CD recording of twelve original songs in July 2004.

He's been featured on CBC television and radio shows hosted by such luminaries as Cape Breton fiddler Natalie MacMaster, has opened for East Cost Music Award winner Lennie Gallant, and is the regular host and performer of the summer ceilidh's at P.E.I.'s Orwell Corner Historic Village.

A resident of Knox's Dam near Montague, Sharratt has traveled from Europe to Asia to the P.E.I. legislature and every farm field in between as a working journalist. He is a writer and photographer with The Guardian newspaper who has visited the outbacks of countries such as Burma and Cuba and has acted as a feature commentator on both CBC television and radio. His interests have taken him from kayaking the Northumberland Strait to learning to speak Gaelic.

A published author, Sharratt has had a number of short stories featured in compilation volumes of both fiction and children's literature and he's won numerous awards with the P.E.I. Literary Awards and off Island events. He has just completed his first novel for young adults.