For the first time, I began exploring the endless possibilities of multi track recording. I could capture and blend any sound that I heard, weaving it into the framework of a song. Before long, I was climbing up on ladders to record the ambient sounds of steam pipes. I also remember trying to figure out what key the laundry dryer hummed in. It was all fun experimentation. Although my songwriting was rough to say the least, my creative juices were really flowing. I was having a blast! I loved the element of control that recording provided. I could go back and fix a mistake or correct a section of a song until I got it just right. Near the end of the school, I had the opportunity to record in a professional studio with my classmates. It was a fantastic learning experience.
In January of 2001, my brother moved to Morehead, Kentucky, where he began experimenting with a computer based recording system. When I had completed my worship school, I joined him with the idea of collaborating on a music project. We had both been bitten by the recording bug. It would only be a matter of time before we began working on a full length album.
It's interesting for me to look back and see how my equipment, recording techniques and general knowledge of recording has changed over the years. Fortunately, its been for the better. I won't write much on that because its fairly technical, and to be honest, boring to read. It would also be redundant of me to simply restate the comprehensive information of each album. All of that info can be found in the liner notes for each project. Instead, my intentions are to give a small chronological overview of each project and included some personal reflection. I realize that there are eight albums, so I will try to keep it brief.
The first three albums are under the name "Great Went". This name selection was created and used by my brother. This is what he had to say about the name choice. "Before I ever recorded music or played in a band, I had an imaginary band in my head called The Great Went. The name came from a line in David Lynch's Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me when Jacques Renault tells Laura, "I am The Great Went". -Cedric Sparkman.
Album #1- 2001- Parables: This is an all instrumental soundtrack for a film by the same title. Bretthit Kelley and I fuzed Appalachian instruments like the dulcimer, mandolin and fiddle with middle eastern/Asian instruments such as the sitar, tampura and a variety of ethnic percussion. This entire album was recorded in a one take, one track session. My brother then split the session into ten individual tracks.
Album #2- 2002- Great Went: This album was birthed out of the college partying days of Morehead State University. It was a wild circus of a recording project with little to no rules. This is how it functioned; get all your drunk friends together, have them submit songs/lyrics (regardless of the style) and put them on a CD. It was a fun, spontaneous free for all that served to be a great learning experience as well as a musical snapshot into that time period.
Album #3- 2003- Man Mountain: One of my favorite projects to date. This is the only album that my brother and I collaborated on from start to finish. My brother created the cover art. All of the songs were written by my brother and myself.
The album itself is a "concept album" about the larger than life character of East Kentucky native, Silas Bowling. Musically, it's set to the style of jam band/classic rock. Kent Cowell produced the album at his Y.E.S. (Yerkes Experimental Sound) Lab recording studio. He also provided the signature guitar solos, giving the songs a uniform continuity. Though the album has technical issues (particularity with rhythm), it makes up for these with originality. This album was one of the most creative project that I have worked on. Its also special for me because of the unique collaboration with my brother.
This was the last album under the Great Went title. It marked a turning point in my musical journey, as I will try to explain.
Album #4- 2005- The Yerkes Years: At this point I was tired of paying large sums of money to people in order to get my projects produced. The only way to circumvent this is to learn to produce them yourself. The Yerkes Years was my fist solo project, and the first project that did not carry the Great Went name. Because of this, I felt the need to come up with a name of my own. I chose the name Rabbit Fork, thinking that one day I would grow the name into a full fledged bluegrass band.
Stylistically, I had been moving in a more traditional direction, and this album coincided with the peak of my interest in bluegrass music. At the time I was living in Fargo, North Dakota. During a brief trip home to KY, I recorded with bluegrass musicians. Because my trip home was limited to just a few days, I had no time to fix mistakes or do multiple takes. I had just enough material to put out an EP, with much of the music being more quantity than quality. The lesson that I learned was that despite time constraints, its never worth rushing a recording.
However, this album did provide the opportunity to work with Jesse Wells. Jesse played banjo and fiddle on this project. This small first encounter would pave the way for Jesse to ultimately teach me how to play banjo. Jesse's influence would steer my music into even more traditional veins, as I departed the shallow oceans of bluegrass in pursuit of the deeper headwaters of old time.
The cover photograph was taken in front of my great-grandfather's (Sherman Campbell) grocery store in Yerkes, Kentucky. This building was torn down shortly after the photo was taken.
Album #5- 2005- Live In Moorhead, Minnesota: This album was released only a few moths after The Yerkes Years. It served in many ways as a live version of The Yerkes Years. The only reason that I truly love this project, is because its the only recording where I can be heard playing with my dad. He is a great guitar player who recorded professionally on many albums during the 80's and 90's with his gospel band, The Cornerstones. Dad's version of Cannonball Rag is my favorite track on the album. Its nostalgic for me because I heard him playing this song countless times while growing up. It also showcases his talent as a guitarist.
Album #6- 2009- I'm Lost Without Coralee: This was my first traditional Appalachian project. This was also my first attempt to release a commercial project. By this, I mean that I distributed it to online reviewers and online stores. In fact, County Sales is one of the stores that carries it. http://www.countysales.com/products.php?product=GRAHAM-SPARKMAN-%27I%27m-Lost-Without-Coralee%27
The album started out as two separate projects. I had been interviewing my grandparents, as well as recording the traditional music of East KY on the side. Somewhere along the way, I got the idea to combine the two into one cohesive project. I feel that this album ties me, through my grandparents, to my Appalachian heritage. Now all but one of my grandparents are gone. Any time I want to hear their voices again, I just put on this recording.
Album #7- 2011- Maxi Reynolds, The Very Best: I thought I would try my hand at producing an album. I ended up enjoying this more than I anticipated. I loved having complete control of the creative process without having to worry about the stresses that coincide with being the artist. What many people don't know regarding this project is the plethora of audio formats I pulled from in order to assemble this album. My Aunt Max had sang and written songs over a 37 year period! It took me three weeks just to comb through the endless piles of vinyls, VHS tapes, cassette tapes and CD's. This nostalgic project was intended only for my family.
Album #8- 2013- The Kentucky Hilltoppers, Live WKIC Recordings from 1949: I again decided to wear the hat of the producer for this project featuring my grandfathers band. I had never before worked on restoring a vintage recording. Martin Fisher of Nashville, TN did a great job with this. The most meaningful part of the project for me, was the opportunity to interview the surviving members of the band. Not only did the interviews inform the writing of my liner notes, but it also gave me an inside prospective that was gratifying. Had it not been for the interviews, a part of my family's musical history would have been lost forever.
The same folks that picked up my I'm Lost Without Coralee CD are carrying this album as well. So far, it is on its 3rd round of distribution with copies on back-order. I have discovered that there is a niche market for previously unreleased vintage American rural recordings. Bluegrass Unlimited is scheduled to review the album at the end of the month.
Well, there you have it! I did the math and figured out that I have put out a new album every 1.5 years since 2001. I'm pretty happy about that. I am currently working on an album of mostly original songs that I composed back in 2005, but never put on an official album. This album will stylistically be a mix of Appalachian, Bluegrass and Traditional Country.
My brother and I have also kicked around the idea of doing a joint project. If this comes to pass, it would be the first time we worked on a project since 2003 (Man Mountain). Albums are very expensive to produce. Because of this, and family obligations, I have had to put many ideas on hold. However, this makes the completion of an album all the more gratifying! Honestly, I have so many projects on the back burner. I'm not running out of musical ideas any time soon!
Reflection over these projects provides a lot of great memories. It also gives me direction for future albums. So much could be said about each project. For sake of time, I will end this entry. Stay tuned for new projects to roll down the pipeline. If you are interested in hearing any of these albums, you can listen, download, free stream, or purchase them at the following links.
http://greatwent.bandcamp.com/album/parables
http://grahamsparkman.bandcamp.com/album/the-yerkes-years
http://www.countysales.com/products.php?product=GRAHAM-SPARKMAN-%27I%27m-Lost-Without-Coralee%27
http://thekentuckyhilltoppers.bandcamp.com/
http://www.countysales.com/products.php?product=KENTUCKY-HILLTOPPERS-'Live-WKIC-Recordings-from-1949'
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