Late 1950's rockabilly quartet from Spartanburg, SC.
Original group members include Joe Bennett (lead vocal, lead guitar), Wayne Arthur (upright bass), Howard "Sparky" Childress (guitar) and Jimmy Denton (drums).
The Sparkletones formed in 1956 at Cowpens High School in Spartanburg when the group's members were between the ages of 13 and 16. In January 1957, Bob Cox, a talent scout for CBS, held auditions at the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium; The Sparkletones took first prize at the event. Convinced they would be a success, Cox quit CBS to manage the group and flew them out to New York City to sign with ABC-Paramount.
At their first recording session they recorded the 12-bar blues "Black Slacks".Paul Anka, who had been recording in the studio earlier that day, added falsetto background on a different song that the group recorded that day, "Boppin' Rock Boogie". Band members Joe Bennett and Jimmy Denton co-wrote "Black Slacks". Released as a single soon after, "Black Slacks" became a local hit and slowly built up national recognition as the group set out on a tour that crisscrossed the U.S. several times over, also performing on The Nat King Cole Show, American Bandstand, and The Ed Sullivan Show. "Black Slacks" remained on the U.S. charts for over four months, peaking at No. 17 on the Billboard Top 100 in late 1957.
The Sparkletones' next single, "Penny Loafers and Bobby Socks", reached No. 42 on the Billboard pop chart early in 1958,staying on the charts for eight weeks, while "Cotton Pickin' Rocker", "We've Had It", "Late Again", "Run Rabbit Run", all failed to chart over the course of the next three years. In 1959, the group's contract with ABC-Paramount expired, and they released three singles on Paris Records,[1] and only the single "Boys Do Cry" had any semblance of success, peaking at No. 105 in 1959. Around this time original guitarist Sparky Childress and drummer Jimmy Denton left and were replaced by Gene Brown and Donnie Seay, respectively. The group broke up in 1960.
Childress played country in the 1960s. A compilation LP was released by MCA Records in 1980, and European bootleg CD reissues were put out in the 1990s. The band members did occasional reunions in South Carolina into the 2000s.
01. The Sparkletones - Bayou Rock
02. The Sparkletones - What The Heck
03. The Sparkletones - Are You From Dixie
04. The Sparkletones - Black Slacks
05. The Sparkletones - Boppin' Rock Boogie
06. The Sparkletones - Rocket
07. The Sparkletones - Penny Loafers And Bobby Socks
08. The Sparkletones - Cotton Pickin' Rocker
09. The Sparkletones - I Dig You, Baby
10. The Sparkletones - Little Turtle
11. The Sparkletones - We've Had It
12. The Sparkletones - Do The Stop
13. The Sparkletones - Late Again
14. The Sparkletones - Run Rabbit Run
Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThank You
ReplyDeleteNice things here!! Thanks!
ReplyDelete