Melvin Sparks
March 22, 1946 – March 13, 2011
Melvin Sparks was a brilliant electric guitarist who made a name for himself on countless jazz and soul-jazz recordings as a session player and a band leader. Born into a musical family, Sparks picked up the guitar at just eleven years old. By the time he was in high school, he was playing behind Hank Ballard, and within a few years, he was in a touring band called the Upsetters who backed Little Richard, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, and Jackie Wilson. He went on to become a session player for Blue Note and Prestige, playing on records by the likes of Lou Donaldson, Jimmy McGriff, and Hank Crawford. In the 90s, he played with Soulive and Galactic during the acid jazz revival. Melvin Sparks was 64 when he passed away on March 13, 2011. It has been reported that diabetes and high blood pressure was to blame.
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