He joined several jazz rock bands as a keyboard player around his native Bishop's Stortford, one of the most successful ones featuring Trevor Horn on bass guitar.

[5] That same year, Sharpe released his debut solo album, Famous People, which included the duet with Numan.

Other vocalists featured on the album include then-frequent Numan backing singer Tessa Niles, who sang the title track.

Two years later, Sharpe & Numan returned with the single "No More Lies", and in early 1989 the duo released a full album together, Automatic.

[5][7] In 1999, he recorded his second solo album, State of the Heart in Los Angeles, co-produced by Don Grusin.

Sharpe's second collaboration with Grusin, Trans Atlantica,[9] was released on 3 September 2012 through the London label, Secret Records, and included their first album Geography as a special 2-CD package.