Randy Sparks (b. 1933) turns 90 as I write this. Not a household name himself per se, Sparks turned out to be something of a starmaker in the long run, and was a major player in the folk boom of the early '60s.
His primary claim to fame is as the founder and leader of the New Christy Minstrels in 1962. My dad had all their records, but I've always frankly found them unlistenably corny. Basically Sparks took a bunch of smaller folk acts (duos, trios) and merged them into one large, weird, squeaky-clean ensemble, with a sound not unlike the Mitch Miller Singers. The New Main Street Singers in Christopher Guest's A Mighty Wind (2003) is a parody of the group. The NCM sold a ton of LPs but had only a few charting singles, the first of which was a cover of Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land". They were regulars on The Andy Williams Show, and even had their own variety show Ford Presents the New Christy Minstrels. They also did the soundtrack to the 1963 Advance to the Rear with Glenn Ford and Stella Stevens.
The most head-scratching aspect of the group to me has always been its name. At the height of the Civil Rights movement, this whitest of white ensembles chose to name themselves after E.P. Christy and his minstrel show? I mean, what the hell-? But many alum of this ensemble, which has had scores of members of the years went on to much bigger things. The roll call incudes Gene Clark of The Byrds, Kenny Rogers and The First Edition, Barry McGuire ("Eve of Destruction") and Kim Carnes ("Bette Davis Eyes"). Their manager was George Greif, who was immortalized in the song "Crackerbox Palace by George Harrison.
Sparks also opened a folk venue called Ledbetters (clearly named after Leadbelly) that showcased early performances by the likes of John Denver, The Carpenters, and Steve Martin.
For more on show business history, please see my book No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous; and keep an eye out for my upcoming Electric Vaudeville: A Century of Radio and TV Variety.
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