Boogie Woogie Man
David Alexander Elam was born on March 10, 1938, and grew up in Marshall, Texas. He is known as Dave Alexander and also by his stage name Omar Shariff. He became a legendary Boogie Woogie and blues performer who recorded five albums and performed in the U.S. and abroad. On Martin Luther King Day in 2011, the NPR Radio program "All Things Considered" broadcast a segment about Marshall, Texas, as the birthplace of the Boogie Woogie style of piano playing. The broadcast described how Dr. John Tennison, a Boogie Woogie musicologist in San Antonio, shared his knowledge of the history of Boogie Woogie with the citizens of Marshall and located Alexander in Sacramento. Alexander relocated back to his hometown of Marshall in 2010 and some fans of the music style began promoting Marshall as a city instrumental in development of Boogie Woogie, hosting concerts frequently to this day. Until his death January 8, 2012 in Marshall, Alexander was the most beloved performer at the events. The video above is his welcome home concert in June of 2010 which highlights his enormous talent.