Randy Sparks (1933–2024), founder of the New Christy Minstrels
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2 min readRandy Sparks was a singer-songwriter who founded the New Christy Minstrels, a group that was part of the 1960s folk revival, and whose Grammy Award-winning debut was on the charts for two years.
- Died: February 11, 2024 (Who else died on February 11?)
- Details of death: Died in San Diego at the age of 90.
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Randy Sparks’ legacy
Though born in Leavenworth, Kansas, Sparks grew up in Oakland, California and went to college at the University of California at Berkeley. He began his music career in the late 1950s as a solo artist, releasing two albums on Verve. He formed his first band, the Randy Sparks Three, in 1960, but it was his second, the New Christy Minstrels, formed in 1961, that made a big splash.
Wanting a richer, fuller sound that he felt would be more authentic to the campfire spirit, Sparks assembled an ensemble of singers to provide accompaniment and harmonies. The group’s debut, “Presenting the New Christy Minstrels,” spawned several successful singles, including Woody Guthrie’s (1912– 1967) “This Land is Your Land”, won a Grammy for Best Performance by a Chorus, and remained on the Billboard charts for two years. Sparks later quit touring with the band in 1963 to focus on writing their material and to run his Los Angeles club, Ledbetter's, which was intended to be a showcase for folk music – especially his.
While the New Christy Minstrels became regulars on television, Sparks was writing music for film, including the score for “Advance to the Rear,” and singing the opening theme to “Thunder Road.” Through his Back Porch Majority “farm group” of promising young talents, Sparks helped nurture the early careers of such artists as John Denver (1943–1997), Steve Martin, Kenny Rogers (1938–2020), and Gene Clark (1944–1991) of the Byrds. He also had a long-running collaboration with Burl Ives (1909–1995), writing songs with Ives and often performing as his opening act.
Tributes to Randy Sparks
Full obituary: The New York Times
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