Saturday
Saturday April 22, 2006: “Country” Larry Sparks & Mike McGee
“Country” Larry Sparks & Mike McGee
Larry R Sparks
Larry Sparks
Larry began his music career in 1951 when he and friend Buddy Loveall were trying to learn how to play. An uncle of Larry's had a bar in Kansas City, Kansas and let them play in the back. The music was so bad, people would throw change to get them to stop playing. Larry finally was able to play well enough to get paid for his efforts.
When Larry came back from the army in 1965, he got serious about his music. He played all the bars around the Kansas City area, moved to Wichita Kansas in 1972, put together a group of musician's and was sponsored by Radio Station KBUL. Opening shows and playing with Mel Tillis, Jim Ed Brown, Tom T. Hall, and Steve Wariner. With a move to Memphis, then to Nashville, Larry played with the "Bill Black Combo", worked at Boots Randolph's Club and many joints on Printers Alley, and all the big hotels in Memphis. He’s met many of the stars in Nashville and Memphis and recorded with some of them.
Larry had a recording contract but decided to let it go about midway through the recording of his first album. His family was the main reason he gave it up. He then moved back to Missouri where in Columbia he put together an 8-piece group, sponsored by KTGR Radio and Channel 13 TV that was very successful in the Lake of the Ozarks area. The group played at Lodge of Four Seasons, Tantara, Millstone etc.
Retired from music 1984, moved to Omaha Nebraska. Returning to the stage doing guest appearances as some Nashville Stars came through. Headlined a large country music festival "Galaxy of Stars" shows three years.
MOVIES/TV
1994 TV Commercial "Mobilink" Released Nationally
1995 TV Commercial "Runza" Omaha NE famous fast food
1995 Movie "Citizen Ruth" played Burt Reynolds body guard. Starring Laura Dern, Mary K. Place, Kurtwood Smith, Tippi Hedren, Kelly Preston
1996 CBS Mini Series "Gone in the Night" played member of a grand jury true story starring Dixie Carter, Shannon Doherty and Kevin Dillon.
2003 Movie "Flying Tiger" acted as local sheriff along with Casey Clark, Bryan Schany and Abby Wathen filmed in Stockton Missouri
2005 Recorded and Released "Larry Sparks Sings Old Time Favorites"
Larry Sparks still performs some concerts and special projects and his favorite songs are ballads. Watch for him at the annual Stockton MO "Black Walnut Festival", summer in the park Sac Arts Council Music and Mt Vernon Horseshoe Theatre.
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Mike McGee
Mike began playing music in 1964 at the age of 11. He received his first pedal steel guitar in 1971.
Mike began his professional career as a pedal steel guitarist in 1974. He played steel for Stan Hitchcock, Branson promoter Jim Thomas, and Branson's Hee Haw Theatre, where he worked with Hee Haw stars Buck Trent, Archie Campbell, Gordy Tapp, Misty Roe, Gunilla Hutton, Grady Nutt, The Hagar Twins, Lulu Roman, and many others. He was the staff steel guitarist for both Dungeon Studios and American Artists Studios in Springfield, MO for many years and recorded hundreds of sessions for many of this region's finest singers and musicians.
Mike currently owns and operates Limestone Recording Studio, which he started in 1989, serving as both producer and engineer. After logging thousands of hours in the studio for others, he released a CD of pedal steel music that he could call his own in 2005. He continues to play for area artists and enjoys playing at some of the regional steel guitar shows and conventions. He is also employed as a computer programmer and software educator and and instructor.
Mike McGee
Larry R Sparks
Larry Sparks
Larry began his music career in 1951 when he and friend Buddy Loveall were trying to learn how to play. An uncle of Larry's had a bar in Kansas City, Kansas and let them play in the back. The music was so bad, people would throw change to get them to stop playing. Larry finally was able to play well enough to get paid for his efforts.
When Larry came back from the army in 1965, he got serious about his music. He played all the bars around the Kansas City area, moved to Wichita Kansas in 1972, put together a group of musician's and was sponsored by Radio Station KBUL. Opening shows and playing with Mel Tillis, Jim Ed Brown, Tom T. Hall, and Steve Wariner. With a move to Memphis, then to Nashville, Larry played with the "Bill Black Combo", worked at Boots Randolph's Club and many joints on Printers Alley, and all the big hotels in Memphis. He’s met many of the stars in Nashville and Memphis and recorded with some of them.
Larry had a recording contract but decided to let it go about midway through the recording of his first album. His family was the main reason he gave it up. He then moved back to Missouri where in Columbia he put together an 8-piece group, sponsored by KTGR Radio and Channel 13 TV that was very successful in the Lake of the Ozarks area. The group played at Lodge of Four Seasons, Tantara, Millstone etc.
Retired from music 1984, moved to Omaha Nebraska. Returning to the stage doing guest appearances as some Nashville Stars came through. Headlined a large country music festival "Galaxy of Stars" shows three years.
MOVIES/TV
1994 TV Commercial "Mobilink" Released Nationally
1995 TV Commercial "Runza" Omaha NE famous fast food
1995 Movie "Citizen Ruth" played Burt Reynolds body guard. Starring Laura Dern, Mary K. Place, Kurtwood Smith, Tippi Hedren, Kelly Preston
1996 CBS Mini Series "Gone in the Night" played member of a grand jury true story starring Dixie Carter, Shannon Doherty and Kevin Dillon.
2003 Movie "Flying Tiger" acted as local sheriff along with Casey Clark, Bryan Schany and Abby Wathen filmed in Stockton Missouri
2005 Recorded and Released "Larry Sparks Sings Old Time Favorites"
Larry Sparks still performs some concerts and special projects and his favorite songs are ballads. Watch for him at the annual Stockton MO "Black Walnut Festival", summer in the park Sac Arts Council Music and Mt Vernon Horseshoe Theatre.
================================================
Mike McGee
Mike began playing music in 1964 at the age of 11. He received his first pedal steel guitar in 1971.
Mike began his professional career as a pedal steel guitarist in 1974. He played steel for Stan Hitchcock, Branson promoter Jim Thomas, and Branson's Hee Haw Theatre, where he worked with Hee Haw stars Buck Trent, Archie Campbell, Gordy Tapp, Misty Roe, Gunilla Hutton, Grady Nutt, The Hagar Twins, Lulu Roman, and many others. He was the staff steel guitarist for both Dungeon Studios and American Artists Studios in Springfield, MO for many years and recorded hundreds of sessions for many of this region's finest singers and musicians.
Mike currently owns and operates Limestone Recording Studio, which he started in 1989, serving as both producer and engineer. After logging thousands of hours in the studio for others, he released a CD of pedal steel music that he could call his own in 2005. He continues to play for area artists and enjoys playing at some of the regional steel guitar shows and conventions. He is also employed as a computer programmer and software educator and and instructor.
Mike McGee
Friday
Friday April 21, 2006: Creek's Arisin' - bluegrass/gospel and country, blues, and even a little ragtime jazz
FRIDAY APRIL 21ST - 7PM
$5. – (Age 10 & Under $2.50)
$5. – (Age 10 & Under $2.50)
Creek's Arisin': bluegrass/gospel and country, blues, and even a little ragtime jazz
(click on link to go to post to add comments)
(click here for mandolin solo) (click here for their website)
Creek's Arisin'
(click on either image to make it larger)
(click here for mandolin solo)
Creek's Arisin' is from the greater Springfield area and was founded in the Mark Twain Forest country near Ozark, Missouri. Some of the featured instruments are guitar, mandolin, banjo, dobro, fiddle, bass plus lead & harmony vocals from five of the six members. Their music is rooted in traditional bluegrass/gospel but also encompasses country, blues, and even a little ragtime jazz, plus many of the songs are also originally composed!
(click on link to go to post to add comments about Creek's Arisin')
(click here for mandolin solo)
(click here for their website)
***** LIFE AT THE MILL is now available online! ******
