Larry Sparks
Bluegrass singer and guitarist who joined the Clinch Mountain Boys as a teenager and has fronted the Lonesome Ramblers ever since. A dark, unhurried baritone and lead lines with blues in them.
Larry Sparks was born in Ohio and was still a teenager when Ralph Stanley hired him for the Clinch Mountain Boys in the mid-1960s, first on lead guitar and then singing lead in the wake of Carter Stanley's death. He left at the end of the decade to start the Lonesome Ramblers and has kept that name on the marquee ever since.
His guitar breaks bend and lag in a way that comes straight out of blues playing, and his reading of John Deere Tractor became the version other singers answer to. He works gospel material heavily, usually taking it slower than the audience expects.
Festivals Larry Sparks is playing
Larry Sparks at a glance
What festivals is Larry Sparks playing in 2026?
Larry Sparks is booked at 1 festival: World of Bluegrass 2026.
When does Larry Sparks play at World of Bluegrass?
Saturday, October 24, 3:30 – 5:00 PM at Chattanooga Convention Center.
What kind of music does Larry Sparks play?
Larry Sparks is tagged bluegrass.
Also on these bills
Leftover SalmonDella MaeJason Carter BandMichael Cleveland & FriendsMissy Raines & AlleghenyRalph Stanley II & The Clinch Mountain BoysRick Faris BandSeth Mulder & Midnight RunWilliamson BranchSierra FerrellLonesome River BandRandy Steele & High Cold Wind
More bluegrass acts
Fireside CollectiveJim LauderdaleLeftover SalmonMolly TuttleMountain Grass UnitSeth Mulder & Midnight RunThe Infamous StringdustersAlice GerrardAlison Krauss & Union StationAsheville Mountain BoysAuthentic UnlimitedBalsam Range
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