Larry Sparks
Encyclopedia
Larry Sparks is a Bluegrass
singer and guitar
ist. He was the winner of the 2004 and 2005 International Bluegrass Music Association
Male Vocalist of the Year Award. 2005, won IBMA for Album of the Year and Recorded Event of the Year for his album "40," celebrating his 40th year in bluegrass music.
. His family originated from Jackson County, Kentucky
in the Appalachians. In his childhood, he used to listen to the Grand Ole Opry
and to radio station WCKY
. He learned to play the guitar when he was quite young influenced by artists such as Wayne Raney
, Stanley Brothers, Tommy Sutton and Paul "Moon" Mullins. Although he had played in country music
and rock bands while he was in high school, his bluegrass career began when he joined the Stanley Brothers in 1964. At that time he was playing in a local band in Middletown, Ohio
: "Irvin MackIntosh and His Band" and a friend of him, banjo player Wilbur Hall, was acquainted with Moon Mullins - who had just arrived to Middletown - and Hall told Mullins about Sparks. Mullins, who knew the Stanley Brothers, recommended Sparks to them and he was hired after an audition. An extensive tour followed and he recorded for the first time in 1965 for a small label in Dayton, Ohio
.
In December 1966, Carter Stanley
of the Stanley Brothers died and Ralph Stanley
was in need of a guitarist to replace Carter. "Ralph Stanley and His Clinch Mountain Boys" consisted of Ralph Stanley-banjo, Larry Sparks-guitar, Curly Ray Cline
-fiddle and Melvin Goins-bass. Sparks moved to Clintwood, Virginia
and got married. With Ralph Stanley, Larry Sparks recorded the original versions of modern bluegrass standards including "I Only Exist", "Sharecropper's Son", and "Going Up Home To Live in Green Pastures". In late 1969, he left the "Clinch Mountain Boys", formed the "Lonesome Ramblers" and began recording for Pine Tree Records. The first version of the "Ramblers" comprised Larry Sparks, David Cox, Lloyd Hensley, Joe Isaacs and Larry's sister Bernice Sparks. After Pine Tree Records he went to Old Homestead Records and then to Starday Records before moving to the bluegrass label Rebel Records
in 1977. Over the years, his band has undergone numerous personnel changes. Banjo player and tenor singer Dave Evans has been one of the "Ramblers" most well-known members.
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
singer and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist. He was the winner of the 2004 and 2005 International Bluegrass Music Association
International Bluegrass Music Association
The International Bluegrass Music Association, or IBMA, is a trade association to promote bluegrass music.Formed in 1985, IBMA established its first headquarters in Owensboro, Kentucky. In 1988 they announced plans to create the International Bluegrass Music Museum as a joint venture with...
Male Vocalist of the Year Award. 2005, won IBMA for Album of the Year and Recorded Event of the Year for his album "40," celebrating his 40th year in bluegrass music.
Biography
Sparks was born and raised in Lebanon, OhioLebanon, Ohio
The population at the 2010 census was 20,033. As of the census of 2000, there were 16,962 people residing in the city. The population density was 1,440.6 people per square mile . There were 6,218 housing units at an average density of 528.1 per square mile...
. His family originated from Jackson County, Kentucky
Jackson County, Kentucky
Jackson County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. It was formed in 1858 and was named for President Andrew Jackson. As of 2000, the population was 13,495. Its county seat is McKee. It is a prohibition or dry county...
in the Appalachians. In his childhood, he used to listen to the Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
and to radio station WCKY
WCKY (AM)
WCKY is an AM radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, broadcasting at 1530 kHz with 50,000 watts, and its transmitter is located in nearby Villa Hills, Kentucky. It is a class A clear channel station, sharing the frequency with KFBK in Sacramento, and can be heard, particularly at night, over most...
. He learned to play the guitar when he was quite young influenced by artists such as Wayne Raney
Wayne Raney
Wayne Raney was an American country singer and harmonica player.-Biography:Raney was born on a farm with a foot deformity and could not do heavy labor. After learning to play harmonica at an early age, he moved to Piedras Negras, Mexico at age 13, where he played on radio station XEPN...
, Stanley Brothers, Tommy Sutton and Paul "Moon" Mullins. Although he had played in country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
and rock bands while he was in high school, his bluegrass career began when he joined the Stanley Brothers in 1964. At that time he was playing in a local band in Middletown, Ohio
Middletown, Ohio
Middletown is an All-America City located in Butler and Warren counties in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. Formerly in Lemon, Turtlecreek, and Franklin townships, Middletown was incorporated by the Ohio General Assembly on February 11, 1833, and became a city in 1886...
: "Irvin MackIntosh and His Band" and a friend of him, banjo player Wilbur Hall, was acquainted with Moon Mullins - who had just arrived to Middletown - and Hall told Mullins about Sparks. Mullins, who knew the Stanley Brothers, recommended Sparks to them and he was hired after an audition. An extensive tour followed and he recorded for the first time in 1965 for a small label in Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
.
In December 1966, Carter Stanley
Carter Stanley
Carter Glen Stanley was a bluegrass music lead singer, songwriter, and rhythm guitar player. He formed the Stanley Brothers band together with his brother Ralph. The Stanley Brothers are generally acknowledged as the first band after Bill Monroe & the Blue Grass Boys to play in the bluegrass genre...
of the Stanley Brothers died and Ralph Stanley
Ralph Stanley
Ralph Stanley , also known as Dr. Ralph Stanley, is an American bluegrass artist, known for his distinctive singing and banjo playing.-Biography:...
was in need of a guitarist to replace Carter. "Ralph Stanley and His Clinch Mountain Boys" consisted of Ralph Stanley-banjo, Larry Sparks-guitar, Curly Ray Cline
Curly Ray Cline
Curly Ray Cline was an American bluegrass fiddler from West Virginia known for his work with the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers and Ralph Stanley.-Biography:...
-fiddle and Melvin Goins-bass. Sparks moved to Clintwood, Virginia
Clintwood, Virginia
Clintwood is a town in Dickenson County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,549 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Dickenson County....
and got married. With Ralph Stanley, Larry Sparks recorded the original versions of modern bluegrass standards including "I Only Exist", "Sharecropper's Son", and "Going Up Home To Live in Green Pastures". In late 1969, he left the "Clinch Mountain Boys", formed the "Lonesome Ramblers" and began recording for Pine Tree Records. The first version of the "Ramblers" comprised Larry Sparks, David Cox, Lloyd Hensley, Joe Isaacs and Larry's sister Bernice Sparks. After Pine Tree Records he went to Old Homestead Records and then to Starday Records before moving to the bluegrass label Rebel Records
Rebel Records
In 1980, Freeland sold the label to David Freeman, the founder of County Records. Rebel currently has 140 titles in print from more than 35 different artists and groups. In 2008, the label released 8 new titles, including ones from Ralph Stanley and Larry Sparks.-Notable artists:...
in 1977. Over the years, his band has undergone numerous personnel changes. Banjo player and tenor singer Dave Evans has been one of the "Ramblers" most well-known members.
Selected discography
| Year | Album | US Bluegrass | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Ramblin' Guitar | Pine Tree | ||
| 1971 | New Gospel Songs | |||
| 1972 | Bluegrass Old and New | Old Homestead | ||
| Ramblin' Bluegrass | Starday | |||
| 1977 | Sings Hank Williams | Rebel Rebel Records In 1980, Freeland sold the label to David Freeman, the founder of County Records. Rebel currently has 140 titles in print from more than 35 different artists and groups. In 2008, the label released 8 new titles, including ones from Ralph Stanley and Larry Sparks.-Notable artists:... |
||
| 1980 | John Deere Tractor | |||
| 1981 | Dark Hollow | |||
| 1982 | The Best of | |||
| The Testing Times | ||||
| 1983 | Blue Sparks | |||
| 1984 | Lonesome Guitar | |||
| 1986 | Gonna Be Movin | |||
| 1988 | Silver Reflections | |||
| 1989 | Classic Bluegrass | |||
| 1992 | Travelin | |||
| 1994 | The Rock I Stand On | |||
| 1996 | Blue Mountain Memories | |||
| 2000 | Special Delivery | |||
| 2003 | The Coldest Part of Winter | |||
| 2005 | 40 | 10 | ||
| 2007 | The Last Suit You Wear | 4 | McCoury | |
| 2008 | Kentucky Banjo | Gusto Gusto Records Gusto Records is a Nashville, Tennessee based record company specializing in reissuing and licensing recordings from its vast catalogue of music from acquired record labels and their own studio recordings.... |
||
| I Don't Regret a Mile | Sparks | |||
| 2009 | I Just Want to Thank You Lord | Rural Rhythm | ||
| 2011 | Almost Home | Rounder |