Melvin Sparks

Melvin Sparks (March 22, 1946 – March 15, 2011)^[1] was an American soul jazz, hard bop and jazz blues guitarist. He recorded a number of albums for Prestige Records, later recording for Savant Records. He appeared on several recordings with musicians including Lou Donaldson, Sonny Stitt, Leon Spencer and Johnny Hammond Smith.^[1]

Career

Sparks was born in Houston, Texas, United States, and raised in a musical family. He received his first guitar at age 11. Sparks began working in the rhythm and blues genre as a high school student, first with Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, and then with the Upsetters, a touring band formed by Little Richard, which also backed Jackie Wilson, Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye.^[2]

Sparks moved to New York City and worked as a session musician for Blue Note and Prestige Records. As part of the burgeoning soul-jazz scene of the late 1960s and early 1970s, Sparks often backed organists like Jack McDuff, Dr. Lonnie Smith and Charles Earland. Sparks released his debut album, Sparks!, for Prestige in 1970.^[2]

He was seen on Northeastern television commercials as the voice of Price Chopper's House of BBQ advertising campaign.^[3]

Sparks died on March 15, 2011, at age 64, at his home in Mount Vernon, New York. He had diabetes and high blood pressure.^[2]

Discography

As leader

• Sparks! (Prestige, 1970; reissued on BGP/Ace in 1993) -with Leon Spencer
• Spark Plug (Prestige, 1971) -with Grover Washington Jr.
• Akilah! (Prestige, 1972; reissued on BGP/Ace in 1993)
• Texas Twister (Eastbound, 1973; reissued on BGP/Ace in 1995)
• Melvin Sparks '75 (Westbound/20th Century, 1975; reissued on BGP/Ace in 1995)
• I'm Funky Now (Westbound, 1976; released on Ace in 2017)
• Sparkling (Muse, 1981)
• I'm A 'Gittar' Player (Cannonball, 1997)
• What You Hear Is What You Get (Savant, 2001)
• It Is What It Is (Savant, 2004)
• This Is It! (Savant, 2005)
• Groove On Up (Savant, 2006)
• Live at Nectar's (One Note, 2010 [rel. 2017])

As sideman

With Henry "Pucho" Brown/Pucho & The Latin Soul Brothers

• Rip A Dip (Milestone, 1995)
• Jungle Strut (Lexington/West 47th, 1995)

With Rusty Bryant

• Soul Liberation (Prestige, 1970) -with Charles Earland

With Hank Crawford

• Indigo Blue (Milestone, 1983)
• Down on the Deuce (Milestone, 1984)
• Roadside Symphony (Milestone, 1985)
• Night Beat (Milestone, 1989)
• Groove Master (Milestone, 1990)
• South Central (Milestone, 1992)
• Tight (Milestone, 1996)
• After Dark (Milestone, 1998)
• Crunch Time (Milestone, 1998) -with Jimmy McGriff
• The World of Hank Crawford (Milestone, 2002)

With Dennis Day

• All Things in Time (D-Day Media, 2008)

With Joey DeFrancesco

• All In The Family (HighNote, 1998)
• Plays Sinatra His Way (HighNote, 2004)

With Papa John DeFrancesco

• Hip Cake Walk (HighNote, 2001)

With Karl Denson

• Dance Lesson #2 (Blue Note, 2001)

With Lou Donaldson

• Hot Dog (Blue Note, 1969) -with Charles Earland
• Everything I Play Is Funky (Blue Note, 1969)
• The Scorpion (Blue Note, 1970)
• Cosmos (Blue Note, 1971)

With Charles Earland

• Black Talk! (Prestige, 1969)
• Infant Eyes (Muse, 1979)
• Pleasant Afternoon (Muse, 1981)
• Slammin' & Jammin' (Savant, 1997)
• Cookin' with the Mighty Burner (HighNote, 1997)

With Ceasar Frazier

• Hail Ceasar! (Eastbound, 1972)

With Red Holloway

• Keep That Groove Going! (Milestone, 2001) with Plas Johnson
• Coast to Coast (Milestone, 2003)

With Etta Jones

• If You Could See Me Now (Muse, 1978)

With Charles Kynard

• Wa-Tu-Wa-Zui (Beautiful People) (Prestige, 1970)

With Ron Levy

• Zim Zam Zoom: Acid Blues on B-3 (Bullseye Blues, 1996)
• Voodoo Boogaloo (Levtron, 2005)

With Johnny Lytle

• Good Vibes (Muse, 1982)
• Happy Ground (Muse, 1989)

With Jack McDuff

• Do It Now! (Atlantic, 1966)
• Double Barrelled Soul (Atlantic, 1967) -with David "Fathead" Newman

With Jimmy McGriff

• Countdown (Milestone, 1983)
• State of the Art (Milestone, 1985)
• Blue to the 'Bone (Milestone, 1988)
• Feelin' It (Milestone, 2001)
• McGriff Avenue (Milestone, 2001)

With Idris Muhammad

• Black Rhythm Revolution! (Prestige, 1970)
• Peace and Rhythm (Prestige, 1971)

With John Patton

• Soul Connection (Nilva, 1983)

With Houston Person

• The Nearness of You (Muse, 1977)
• Suspicions (Muse, 1980)
• Heavy Juice (Muse, 1982)
• We Owe It All To Love (Baseline [UK], 1989)
• Christmas with Houston Person and Friends (Muse, 1994)

With Sonny Phillips

• Black Magic (Prestige, 1970)
• Black on Black! (Prestige, 1970)

With Bernard Purdie

• Bernard Purdie's Jazz Groove Sessions In Tokyo (Lexington/West 47th, 1993)

With Alvin Queen

• Lenox and Seventh (Black & Blue, 1985) -with Dr. Lonnie Smith

With Rhoda Scott

• Very Saxy: Live Au Meridien (Night and Day, 2004) -with Ricky Ford, Houston Person

With Johnny "Hammond" Smith

• Wild Horses Rock Steady (Kudu/CTI, 1971)

With Dr. Lonnie Smith

• Think! (Blue Note, 1968)
• Turning Point (Blue Note, 1969)

With Leon Spencer

• Sneak Preview! (Prestige, 1970)
• Louisiana Slim (Prestige, 1971)
• Bad Walking Woman (Prestige, 1972)

With Dakota Staton

• A Packet of Love Letters (HighNote, 1996)

With Tom "T Bone" Stinson

• On Fire (Golden Zebra, 2004)

With Sonny Stitt

• Turn It On! (Prestige, 1971)
• Black Vibrations (Prestige, 1971)

With Leon Thomas

• Leon Thomas Blues Band (Portrait/Epic), 1988

With Reuben Wilson

• Blue Mode (Blue Note, 1969)
• The Cisco Kid (Groove Merchant, 1973)
• Down with It (Cannonball, 1998)
• Fun House (Savant, 2005)

With Jimmy Witherspoon

• The Blues Is Now (Verve, 1967) -with Jack McDuff

See also

• Jazz funk

References