There is an online feature about the latest Larry Sparks release, The Last Suit You Wear, up at CMT.com.
Written by Edward Morris, the piece provides details about the new release, interspersed with comments from Sparks, along with a brief overview of his more than 40 year career in bluegrass music.
Sparks was just 16 and still living in his native Ohio when he began playing occasional dates with the legendary Stanley Brothers. After lead singer Carter Stanley died in 1966, Sparks took his place and held that post for the next three years. Then he quit to form his own band, the Lonesome Ramblers.
He says he learned a lot about stage presence from watching Carter Stanley work. “He was pretty good at it,” Sparks recalls, “and he always had something to say. He could always say it well and make that contact with the audience.”
Also like Stanley, Sparks is a sharp dresser on stage, invariably clad in a tailored suit and wearing a tie, his curly hair immaculately coiffed. “I think it gives the people something to look at,” he says, “[it’s] more of a show look. I’ll admit it’s more comfortable in jeans.”
He points out that his prized 1953 Martin D-28 guitar, with its artist’s palette pick guard, has become part of his image as well. “Some say my pick guard is designed like my hair,” he quips. “That’s what a lot of the old ladies tell me.”
Read the full article at CMT.com.
You can hear audio samples from The Last Suit You Wear in the iTunes Music Store.
