About
Hello my name is Edward Sparks, I'm a musician.
I was born in
Seeing The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan TV Show changed everything…
~Edward Sparks
Bio/Interview
Interview with Edward
Sparks, October 2008
What made you take up the guitar, and how long have you been
playing?
I saw the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show…I know
that sounds so cliché but its true! I was in the 4th grade and that one
moment sparked my passion! I began playing when I was about 12 or 13
years old.
What was your first guitar and what was the first song you learned
to play?
My very first guitar was a plastic bodied Tiger Guitar by the Emenee toy
company. My first wooden guitar was a parlor sized red Harmony Stella
H933 acoustic. Like millions of other budding guitarists, I talked my
parents into buying me a Harmony guitar to learn on. I loved that guitar
and still own it to this day, (check out the pictures of both on the
Guitar Gallery Page).
The very first song I learned all the way through was by Creedence
Clearwater Revival, it was called “Lookin’ Out My Back Door.” I bought
the sheet music and just playing it over and over until my fingers
actually bled. Later I learned how to tune!
What was the first serious guitar you purchased and the last one you
purchased?
A Harmony Sovereign 6 string acoustic. It was the same model that John
Sebastian played at Woodstock, and Pete Townsend of the Who owned a 12
string model. They were made in America and all solid wood. I still have
that guitar today as well.
Recently all four of my harmony guitars appeared in Vintage Guitar
magazine in a picture captioned “Four Part Harmony.” I currently own the
two originals mentioned above and two archtops.
The last guitar I purchased was a Gibson J100extra, for a vendor at the
Philadelphia Vintage Guitar Show in 2006. It is a 1994 Centennial Model
and celebrates the 100th Birthday of the Gibson Company.
Do you also build guitars yourself?
Yes, I have made several instruments over the past 20 or so years, but
never for sale...I build only for myself, family, and friends. My
first build was a kit bass...kind of a Fender
Tele bass look-a-like made from kit parts. It has a real
Fender Tele bass pickup and I still use it a lot today on stage. My
first handmade instrument was a 6 string solid body
electric mandolin...it was a success...well, kinda! It has a
permanent residence in my living room now and makes a great conversation
piece. My next project was an 8 string acoustic/electric
tenor guitar, which is basically a 12 string small bodied guitar
without the low E and A strings and their octaves...it came out quite
good and I still play it today. My next instrument was the one I
am most proud of...a semi-solid
electric 12 string just caked with with custom features. I
used this instrument extensively in Free Flight. I next built a
six string neck for my Washburn banjo, and even though it turned out
great, I just didn't like the way the instrument sounded...and I missed
my 5 string banjo! I am saving this neck for a solid body electric
build I have in the drawing board stages right now! I began work
on a
lapsteel, which is still in pieces. I stopped the lapsteel
work, and enlisted the help of my friend and partner Patrick Raymond, of
Raymond Guitars, to build a special
bass for my son Josh's 21st birthday. My current project is
building an electric guitar for my son Phil. You may click
on the imbedded links here, but be sure to visit the
Guitar Gallery page and view these instruments.
How long have you been performing live and what bands have you been
in?
I have been playing out now since 1978 when I played in a duo first
called “The Fresh Produce Company,” then shorted to “Fresh Produce.’ My
partner was Jim Bergendahl, a High School friend. Too many people
thought we were a Bluegrass Band, so we changed it to “Free Flight.” We
held that name until we got two other members and then changed it to
“The Free Flight Band.” That lasted until 2003 when we did out last
show. I am currently in a trio called “Sparks, Raymond & McCoy.” I am
also playing solo these days and with other people on the side,
including my son and step-son.
What's spinning in your CD player lately?
I have to admit to being very narrow minded when it comes to what I
listen to...just ask Steve McCoy and Patrick Raymond, my two SRM
bandmates! Right now in my car player I have a great CD by my
friend Joe Rathbone called "I
Can Hear the Windows of Your Heart Breaking." It is a masterpiece
and I love everything about it, the lyrics the melodies, the
arrangements, just everything! He plays mostly guitar, but among
the typical drums and keyboards and bass, he has a cello and violin. I
currently cover his song from the album called "Learning to Fly."
Really great stuff. Other than that I listen to my old favorites,
the Beatles, Byrds, C~S~N & Y, Cat Stevens, Harry Chapin, John Gorka,
and others. I also fell in love with the soundtrack to the movies:
"Across the Universe", "Autumn Rush" and "Elizabethtown." I
have also been listening to a lot of my old stuff lately as I am working
on a new album of old songs called "Ghosts of Sessions Past." It
will include a bunch of my old stuff, both studio and live, solo and
duo/trio, as well as a group of songs that I have never released.
I had hoped to have it out at Christmas this year, but I have had some
software setbacks! When it is finished it will be announced on my
"NEWS" page.
