Biography - Larry Sparks
“The
youngest of the old-timers” is what Larry Sparks calls himself,
but what he doesn’t say is that in the course of forty years in
bluegrass he’s created a body of work whose highlights stand beside
the work of the music’s first-generation greats. A gut-wrenchingly
soulful singer and innovative guitar stylist with an unexcelled ear
for a song, he has been among the music’s most influential and
original artists. “I’ve always loved Larry Sparks,”
Alison Krauss said in a recent interview. When she did, she spoke for
an entire community of fans – and, today, with the release of
a new album that both showcases and pays tribute to his talents, that
community is bound to grow even larger.
40 is a stunning set that revisits some of the many highlights of Larry
Sparks’ recording career and sets out to create some new ones,
all with the help of friends and admirers whose names read like a “who’s
who” of bluegrass and country music. Produced by longtime Sparks
fan and advocate Don Rigsby (Lonesome River Band, Rock County), this
disc features an all-star cast of instrumentalists that includes such
distinguished graduates from Larry’s band as his son, “Dee,”
award-winning fiddler Stuart Duncan, banjoist Barry Crabtree (Wildfire),
and mandolin ace David Harvey (Harley Allen Band, Claire Lynch Band),
together with special guests like resonator guitarist Randy Kohrs and
current members of his band, the Lonesome Ramblers.
Yet as glittering as the list of guest pickers is, it pales next to
the names of guests who leapt at the chance to sing with Larry Sparks.
Vince Gill provides tenor harmonies on a rapid-fire take of the Delmore
Brothers’ “Blues Stay Away From Me,” country legend
Tom T. Hall makes a rare appearance to swap verses on his own “I
Want You To Meet My Friend,” Alison Krauss and Dan Tyminski frame
Sparks’ lead with burnished harmonies on the signature “John
Deere Tractor” – and that’s just for starters. The
long list encompasses country, bluegrass and bluegrass gospel friends
and colleagues, but perhaps more notably, as a sign of Sparks’
ongoing influence, a group of next-generation country stars –
Andy Griggs, Rebecca Lynn Howard and Kevin Denney, all of whom were
familiar with his music before being invited to join in the project.
Add it all up and it’s hard to imagine a more fitting and enjoyable
celebration of a bluegrass great’s life and career.
Born in Lebanon,
Ohio in 1947, Larry Sparks moved with his family to southeast Indiana
before he reached his teens. He was playing guitar and singing with
his sister Bernice by the time he started high school, and by the time
he finished it, he was making appearances with the Stanley Brothers,
playing the lead guitar that figured so prominently in their sound.
When Carter Stanley died in 1966 and Ralph began his solo career, it
was Sparks he turned to for a lead singer, and the young man delivered,
blending the older brother’s mournful cadences with his own distinctive
tones.
He began his solo career three years later, soon drawing together an
outstanding group that featured banjo player Mike Lilly and mandolinist
Wendy Miller and making his first recordings for tiny regional labels
before releasing Ramblin’ Bluegrass on Starday in 1972.
Though the association didn’t last long, it earned him his first
bit of national exposure and introduced classics like “Brand New
Broken Heart,” “Memories And Dreams” and the sparkling
instrumental, “Kentucky Chimes.” Throughout the remainder
of the decade Sparks refined his unique sound, releasing a half-dozen
albums for the King Bluegrass label that featured his increasingly sophisticated
lead guitar and keen, sorrowful vocals while bringing on board musicians
like banjo player Dave Evans and fiddler Art Stamper.
The first phase of Sparks’ career culminated in 1978 when he
recorded John Deere Tractor. One of the most influential and beloved
albums in the genre’s history, it introduced the powerful title
cut to an audience that eventually included Naomi and Wynonna Judd,
who recorded the song for their first album. Other selections that quickly
became classics included Keith Whitley’s “Great High Mountain,”
given to Sparks near the end of the album’s recording process,
Allen Mills’ “Love Of The Mountains” and Bill Bryson’s
“Girl At The Crossroads Bar.” At nearly the same time, he
recorded one of bluegrass’s most brilliant tributes, Larry
Sparks Sings Hank Williams, perfectly capturing the Drifting Cowboy’s
blend of hillbilly twang and lowdown blues in a cross-generational effort
made with the help of first-generation veteran Chubby Wise (who had
recorded with Williams) and the up-and-coming Ricky Skaggs.
During the 1980s, Sparks’ insistence on doing things his own
way – a stance that included a refusal to move to a more central,
business-friendly location than his rural Indiana home – and his
resolute commitment to a traditionally-based yet unique sound set him
apart from the bluegrass mainstream, where progressive sounds ruled
the day. Yet he soldiered on, producing well-crafted, compelling albums
and providing an important training ground for sidemen who would go
on to become stars themselves, including banjo player Scott Vestal and
fiddlers Glen Duncan and Stuart Duncan.
Sparks began the 1990s with the release of another classic, Silver
Reflections, which added songs like “Blue Virginia Blues”
and “Tennessee 1949” to the bluegrass canon. As the decade
wore on, he drew wider recognition with higher-profile appearances –
on Ralph Stanley’s star-packed Saturday Night, Sunday Morning,
with Stanley and Skaggs on Austin City Limits’ 1995 “Bluegrass
Special,” and at the 1997 Bill Monroe memorial show that was eventually
released as The Legend Lives On: A Tribute To Bill Monroe –
while continuing to tour heavily and record regularly. With Lonesome
Ramblers alumni increasingly prominent – by now, names like David
Harvey, Barry Crabtree and Blue Highway’s Shawn Lane had been
added to the list – as important artists in their own right, his
role as a pioneer and musical role model has been acknowledged through
guest turns on albums like Don Rigsby’s Empty Old Mailbox and
Lane’s solo album, All For Today.
Today, holding IBMA’s Male Vocalist of the Year honor, Sparks
is seen more clearly than ever for what he is–– a compelling,
influential artist who has struck a unique balance between tradition
and originality, forging new paths while remaining true to the music
he loves. “I love the guitar playing of a lot of folks, but Larry
Sparks, he was my model – he and Del McCoury,” Lynn Morris
says, and the dual mention of Sparks and McCoury testifies to the former’s
musical stature. Like McCoury, he’s an old-school treasure who
has been appreciated by the bluegrass community for decades. In recent
years, Del McCoury’s music has finally reached a new, enthusiastic
audience – it only remains for Sparks’ to do the same.
