The New Christy Minstrels®
Under the direction of Randy Sparks
OneSheet: 1
Photo: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Top photo taken by Mari McGuire May 2, 2010 ©2010
Bottom photo courtesy of Life Magazine 
Photo: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Bottom photo courtesy of Life Magazine
Been there, done that! In the humorous words of Yogi Berra, ‘It’s like deja vu all over again!’ Randy Sparks, presiding over a faithfully restored group offering no less than three Original New Christy Minstrels, reclaim their rightful place on stage & in the hearts & minds of millions. “Life is wonderful,” says Randy, “so much better than before. We’ve also been blessed with old age and the wisdom that arrives therewith, so we can better appreciate how special is our time on each and every stage. We love what we do.” Sparks invented the BIG FOLK GROUP concept and format in 1961. He actually sat down with a pen and a notebook and designed his dream band, a happy blending of the exuberance of The Kingston Trio with the choral harmony of The Norman Luboff Choir. The name came from his reading on the struggles of Stephen Foster. Steve had been a wannabe songwriter with a whole pile of good ditties that nobody wanted; ditto R. Sparks. Foster solved his problem by leaning on the most popular musical ensemble of his era, Christy’s Minstrels, and shortly became a household name. ‘Might the same formula work again more than a hundred years later?’ Randy Sparks asked himself. The answer was yes. Randy and his group rode their musical chariot to the very top of the mountain, achieving world prominence, then wandered away, one by one, busying themselves with other challenges, always performing, but not being billed as The NCM. “When my mentor and friend Burl Ives died,” Randy explains, “I suddenly had more time to devote to other forms of music, and I began writing for my old group again. A reunion concert became the logical next step, and the restored group has now been in high gear for more than four years.
For more information about these Grammy Award-winning Folk Giants,
Please visit: WWW.THENEWCHRISTYMINSTRELS.COM
and the web site for their newly established NEW CHRISTY MINSTRELS FOUNDATION
Please visit: WWW.NEWCHRISTYMINSTRELSFOUNDATION.ORG
Randy Sparks' Take On His 1961 Invention
It doesn't quite rival the creation of the airplane or the hula hoop, but I invented the big folk group, and if I'm not allowed to be proud of that, what else do I have?
Yes, I'm glad that my offspring are decent human beings, all fending for themselves admirably enough, but I didn't do that; they did. I like being counted as a fountain instead of a drain, a sail, rather than an anchor, and I appreciate being listed among the movers and shakers. What I really created was a juggernaut, and I have learned to my occasional dismay that it rolls along quite well, no matter who's aboard or who is supposedly in charge. My juggernaut has been hijacked so many times that a volume on its actual history would rival War And Peace in number of pages, but its chronicles has been rewritten with every conquest. I founded The New Christy Minstrels, created the name, hired all the performers, wrote most of the music, and produced most of the recordings through the first nine albums, including all of the hits, but once the stewardship was entrusted to others, my name disappeared almost completely. Now I'm back, and although some of those folks who ran the group for so many years deserve much credit for their tending the fires, keeping it alive, I am following their example and leaving their credits off the scroll. No, I didn't do it all by myself, but all the others are gone, and I can't seem to remember their names.
This story begins with Stephen Foster, the songwriter. He's one of the reasons that I became a songwriter, and he inspired the name of my group. One day in the Vancouver, WA Public Library, I read that Steve once had a problem similar to mine. He had written a pile of good songs that nobody wanted, and his solution was brilliant. He leaned on the most popular musical group of his era, Christy's Minstrels, later dubbed The Christy Minstrels, to get his ditties heard by the public, and my light-bulb moment came along as soon as I connected the dots from his winning formula to my troubled career. I would call my group The New Christy Minstrels. E. P. Christy's ensemble wasn't a big group, just six in number, but the formula was admirable: everybody did double-duty, each performer with a solo offering, playing and singing, dancing, doing humorous sketches; then they all joined together for rousing choruses. I wanted more people in my group. The original target number was fourteen. My dream group would have the brash, imperfect excitement of the Kingston Trio, but with enough good singers to rival the Norman Luboff Choir.
It worked.
I'm pleased to point out that there have been two high-points in the story of The NCM: The first three years were wonderfully successful, and the pace of the restored group in the past three years has been phenomenal. For a while there, we did it with most of the same performers who were onboard in 1962-'64. Even now, we boast three Original Minstrels, and that's three more than The Kingston Trio has nowadays. It's also three more than The Limeliters can throw at an audience. We still have an abundance of authenticity, with just enough younger performers to promise another forty years of happy juggernauting.
- RS
Randy Sparks And The New Christy Minstrels To Be Honored With 318th Star On Palm Springs Walk Of Stars
03.JAN.09 Palm Springs, CA- Grammy winning, ground-breaking singers and musicians, Randy Sparks and The New Christy Minstrels, will be honored with the 318th Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars.The star will be unveiled inside the McCallum Theater on Monday January 12, 2009 at 7:00 PM, with placement in the sidewalk at 538 N. Palm Canyon Dr. at a later date. Robert Alexander, President of the Palm Springs Walk of Stars, will preside over the event. The public and media are invited to attend.A groundbreaking folk ensemble with a rich, robust vocal blend, The New Christy Minstrels has entertained millions of fans around the world since they were first assembled by visionary folk singer Randy Sparks over forty seven years ago. Under Sparks' astute leadership, the "Christies" have scored major success in recordings, on television and-most significant-on the concert circuit. Their innovative sounds were a major influence on popular and folk music in the Sixties. People of all ages were so captivated by their rich harmonies and robust energy that the Christies' career skyrocketed in record time.In 1962, their debut album, "Presenting the New Christy Minstrels", earned a Grammy for Best Performance by a Chorus. With weekly appearances on the debut season of The Andy Williams Show, they soon attracted a legion of fans across the country. Before year-end, they were appearing at Carnegie Hall, followed by appearances at The Greek Theatre, The Coconut Grove, The Latin Quarter, The Copacabana, and The Hollywood Bowl just to name a few. In 1964, they made their first appearance at the White House before then President Lyndon Johnson.Between 1962 and 1968 they released sixteen albums. Their "Ramblin'" album went gold and became a folk classic, garnering rave reviews and featured their first major hit single, "Green, Green". The group enjoyed other chart successes with "This Land is Your Land", "Denver", and "Chim Chim Cher-ee", which the group preformed onThe Academy Awards ceremony the evening the song won "Best Song of 1964. And they are still at it. With Randy Sparks at the helm, the group continues performing with the refreshing Christy sound that has left an enduring legacy on the music world. - Desert Local News©
Official Website: www.thenewchristyminstrels.com/
Please visit: WWW.THENEWCHRISTYMINSTRELS.COM
and the web site for their newly established NEW CHRISTY MINSTRELS FOUNDATION
Please visit: WWW.NEWCHRISTYMINSTRELSFOUNDATION.ORG
Randy Sparks' Take On His 1961 Invention
It doesn't quite rival the creation of the airplane or the hula hoop, but I invented the big folk group, and if I'm not allowed to be proud of that, what else do I have?
Yes, I'm glad that my offspring are decent human beings, all fending for themselves admirably enough, but I didn't do that; they did. I like being counted as a fountain instead of a drain, a sail, rather than an anchor, and I appreciate being listed among the movers and shakers. What I really created was a juggernaut, and I have learned to my occasional dismay that it rolls along quite well, no matter who's aboard or who is supposedly in charge. My juggernaut has been hijacked so many times that a volume on its actual history would rival War And Peace in number of pages, but its chronicles has been rewritten with every conquest. I founded The New Christy Minstrels, created the name, hired all the performers, wrote most of the music, and produced most of the recordings through the first nine albums, including all of the hits, but once the stewardship was entrusted to others, my name disappeared almost completely. Now I'm back, and although some of those folks who ran the group for so many years deserve much credit for their tending the fires, keeping it alive, I am following their example and leaving their credits off the scroll. No, I didn't do it all by myself, but all the others are gone, and I can't seem to remember their names.
This story begins with Stephen Foster, the songwriter. He's one of the reasons that I became a songwriter, and he inspired the name of my group. One day in the Vancouver, WA Public Library, I read that Steve once had a problem similar to mine. He had written a pile of good songs that nobody wanted, and his solution was brilliant. He leaned on the most popular musical group of his era, Christy's Minstrels, later dubbed The Christy Minstrels, to get his ditties heard by the public, and my light-bulb moment came along as soon as I connected the dots from his winning formula to my troubled career. I would call my group The New Christy Minstrels. E. P. Christy's ensemble wasn't a big group, just six in number, but the formula was admirable: everybody did double-duty, each performer with a solo offering, playing and singing, dancing, doing humorous sketches; then they all joined together for rousing choruses. I wanted more people in my group. The original target number was fourteen. My dream group would have the brash, imperfect excitement of the Kingston Trio, but with enough good singers to rival the Norman Luboff Choir.
It worked.
I'm pleased to point out that there have been two high-points in the story of The NCM: The first three years were wonderfully successful, and the pace of the restored group in the past three years has been phenomenal. For a while there, we did it with most of the same performers who were onboard in 1962-'64. Even now, we boast three Original Minstrels, and that's three more than The Kingston Trio has nowadays. It's also three more than The Limeliters can throw at an audience. We still have an abundance of authenticity, with just enough younger performers to promise another forty years of happy juggernauting.
- RS
Randy Sparks And The New Christy Minstrels To Be Honored With 318th Star On Palm Springs Walk Of Stars
03.JAN.09 Palm Springs, CA- Grammy winning, ground-breaking singers and musicians, Randy Sparks and The New Christy Minstrels, will be honored with the 318th Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars.The star will be unveiled inside the McCallum Theater on Monday January 12, 2009 at 7:00 PM, with placement in the sidewalk at 538 N. Palm Canyon Dr. at a later date. Robert Alexander, President of the Palm Springs Walk of Stars, will preside over the event. The public and media are invited to attend.A groundbreaking folk ensemble with a rich, robust vocal blend, The New Christy Minstrels has entertained millions of fans around the world since they were first assembled by visionary folk singer Randy Sparks over forty seven years ago. Under Sparks' astute leadership, the "Christies" have scored major success in recordings, on television and-most significant-on the concert circuit. Their innovative sounds were a major influence on popular and folk music in the Sixties. People of all ages were so captivated by their rich harmonies and robust energy that the Christies' career skyrocketed in record time.In 1962, their debut album, "Presenting the New Christy Minstrels", earned a Grammy for Best Performance by a Chorus. With weekly appearances on the debut season of The Andy Williams Show, they soon attracted a legion of fans across the country. Before year-end, they were appearing at Carnegie Hall, followed by appearances at The Greek Theatre, The Coconut Grove, The Latin Quarter, The Copacabana, and The Hollywood Bowl just to name a few. In 1964, they made their first appearance at the White House before then President Lyndon Johnson.Between 1962 and 1968 they released sixteen albums. Their "Ramblin'" album went gold and became a folk classic, garnering rave reviews and featured their first major hit single, "Green, Green". The group enjoyed other chart successes with "This Land is Your Land", "Denver", and "Chim Chim Cher-ee", which the group preformed onThe Academy Awards ceremony the evening the song won "Best Song of 1964. And they are still at it. With Randy Sparks at the helm, the group continues performing with the refreshing Christy sound that has left an enduring legacy on the music world. - Desert Local News©
Official Website: www.thenewchristyminstrels.com/