Little Richard, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield and Blue Note session guitarist, Melvin Sparks, has passed away.
Little Richard, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield and Blue Note session guitarist, Melvin Sparks, has passed away.
Sparks began as a guitarist in high school, playing with Hank Ballard and the Midnighters.
Little Richard drafted him for his backing band the Upsetters, who also backed Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield and Jackie Wilson.
Sparks went on to become a session guitarist for legendary labels Blue Note and Prestige in the ‘60s and 70s, playing soul jazz for Jack McDuff and Charles Earland.
He played for Hank Crawford and Joey DeFrancesco in the ‘80s and ‘90s and also released many solo albums between 1970 and 2005.
The New York Times reported that Sparks died in his New York home last week, his wife saying he was suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure.
Sparks was 64.
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