Melvin Sparks

Melvin Sparks (March 22, 1946 – March 15, 2011) 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.

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.

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.

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

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

As leader

 * Sparks! (Prestige, 1970)
 * Spark Plug (Prestige, 1971)
 * Akilah! (Prestige, 1972)
 * Texas Twister (Eastbound), 1973
 * '75 (Westbound), 1974
 * Sparkling (Muse), 1981
 * I'm a Gittar Player (Cannonball), 1997
 * What You Hear Is What You Get (Nectar), 2001
 * It Is What It Is (Savant), 2004
 * This Is It! (Savant), 2005
 * Groove on Up (Savant), 2005

As sideman
With Henry "Pucho" Brown With Rusty Bryant With Hank Crawford With Dennis Day With Joey DeFrancesco With Karl Denson With Lou Donaldson With Charles Earland With Ceasar Frazier With Red Holloway With Plas Johnson With Etta Jones With Charles Kynard With Ron Levy With Johnny Lytle With Jack McDuff With Jimmy McGriff With Idris Muhammad With John Patton With Houston Person With Sonny Phillips With Bernard Purdie With Alvin Queen With Rhoda Scott With Johnny Hammond With Lonnie Smith With Leon Spencer With Dakota Staton With Tom "T Bone" Stinson With Sonny Stitt With Leon Thomas With Reuben Wilson With Jimmy Witherspoon
 * Jungle Strut (Lexington), 1993
 * Rip a Dip (Milestone), 1995
 * Soul Liberation (Prestige, 1970)
 * Indigo Blue (Milestone), 1983
 * Down on the Deuce (Milestone), 1984
 * Roadside Symphony (Milestone), 1985
 * Night Beat (Milestone), 1988
 * South Central (Milestone), 1992
 * Tight (Milestone), 1996
 * After Dark (Milestone), 1998
 * Crunch Time (Milestone), 1998
 * The World of H.C. (Milestone), 2000
 * All Things in Time (D-Day Media), 2008
 * All in the Family (Highnote), 1998
 * Plays Sinatra His Way (Highnote), 1998
 * Hip Cake Walk (Highnote), 2000
 * Dance Lesson No. 2 (Blue Note), 2001
 * Hot Dog (Blue Note), 1969
 * Everything I Play Is Funky (Blue Note), 1969
 * The Scorpion (Cadet, 1970)
 * Cosmos (Blue Note, 1971)
 * Black Talk! (Prestige, 1969)
 * Slammin' and Jammin' (Savant), 1997
 * Cookin' with the Mighty Burner (Highnote), 1997
 * Hail Ceasar! (Eastbound), 1972
 * Coast to Coast (Milestone), 2003
 * Keep That Groove Going! (Milestone), 2000
 * If You Could See Me Now (Muse), 1978
 * Wa-Tu-Wa-Zui (Beautiful People) (Prestige, 1970)
 * Zim Zam Zoom: Acid Blues on B-3 (Bullseye Blues), 1996
 * Voodoo Boogaloo (Levtronic), 2005
 * Good Vibes (Muse), 1981
 * Happy Ground (Muse), 1989
 * Do It Now! (Atlantic, 1966)
 * Double Barrelled Soul (Atlantic, 1967) - with David Newman
 * Countdown (Milestone), 1983
 * State of the Art (Milestone), 1985
 * Blue to the Bone (Milestone), 1988
 * McGriff Avenue (Milestone), 2001
 * Black Rhythm Revolution! (Prestige, 1970)
 * Peace and Rhythm (Prestige, 1971)
 * Soul Connection (Nilva), 1983
 * The Nearness of You (Muse), 1977
 * Heavy Juice (Muse), 1982
 * We Owe It All for Love (Baseline), 1988
 * Black Magic (Prestige, 1970)
 * Black on Black! (Prestige, 1970)
 * In Tokyo (Lexington), 1993
 * Lenox and Seventh (Black and Blue), 1985
 * Very Saxy (Night and Day), 2004
 * Wild Horses Rock Steady (Kudu, 1971)
 * Think! (Blue Note, 1968)
 * Turning Point (Blue Note, 1969)
 * Sneak Preview! (Prestige, 1970)
 * Louisiana Slim (Prestige, 1971)
 * Bad Walking Woman (Prestige, 1972)
 * A Packet of Love Letters (Highnote), 1996
 * On Fire (Golden Zebra), 2004
 * Turn It On! (Prestige, 1971)
 * Black Vibrations (Prestige, 1971)
 * Bluesband (Portrait), 1988
 * Blue Mode (Blue Note), 1969
 * The Cisco Kid (Groove Merchant), 1974
 * Down with It (Cannonball), 1998
 * Fun House (Savant), 2004
 * The Blues Is Now (Verve), 1967