Barry Sparks | |
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| Born | (1968-06-20)June 20, 1968 (age 56) Lucasville, Ohio |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1991-present |
Barry Sparks (born June 20, 1968 inLucasville, Ohio) is an American rock bassist and guitarist for artists such asYngwie Malmsteen, theMichael Schenker Group,UFO,Dokken, andTed Nugent, among others.[1] Until 2019, Sparks was part of the touring band for the Japanese rock duoB'z, and has also contributed to many of their albums and singles.
Barry Sparks first began to make a name for himself as the bass player for former MCA recording artistGuy Mann-Dude with whom he toured and recorded the 1991Mannic Distortion release. This led to Sparks landing the bass gig with Swedish guitaristYngwie Malmsteen in time forThe Seventh Sign tour in 1994, followed by a four-year on-and-off stint with German guitaristMichael Schenker, starting with the 1996Written in the Sand album.
In 1997, Sparks andMichael Schenker Group drummerShane Gaalaas teamed up with guitaristJeff Kollman to form the all-instrumental fusion trio Cosmosquad with whom Sparks recorded three albums before exiting. The trio also backed vocalistJohn West on his 1998 sophomore release,Permanent Mark. In 1998, Sparks became a touring musician with pop singerBillie Myers of "Kiss the Rain" fame, doing television and radio station appearances and playing worldwide, includingGood Morning America andTop of the Pops in England. They also supported tours withBob Dylan in Europe, Savage Garden and many others.
In the late 1990s Sparks guested on albums by formerLoudness vocalistMichael Vescera and thenHelloween guitaristRoland Grapow, toured with futureUFO bandmateVinnie Moore, and recorded and toured with ex-Scorpions guitaristUli Jon Roth.
In 2001, Sparks released his acoustic guitar based solo debut album,Glimmer of Hope, on his own Moonbeam Music label. A second album,Can't Look Back, with special guest appearances byZZ Top'sBilly Gibbons (on "Breathe") andTed Nugent (on "Liberty"), followed in 2004. Sparks began working with Nugent on the "Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers" U.S. summer tour of 2003.
In 2001, Sparks became the bass player forDokken, an affiliation that lasted until 2010 and produced four studio albums. During this time, Sparks and Dokken drummerMick Brown also played with Ted Nugent, documented on the 2008 live releaseSweden Rocks.
In 2004, Sparks was called to record bass tracks for theScorpions'Unbreakable album. That same year, Sparks filled in for one of his all-time bass heroes,Pete Way of UFO, on theYou Are Here U.S. tour. He last toured with the group in 2011.
After previously touring with the band in 2003 for theirBig Machine album, Sparks was again recruited by the Japanese rock duoB'z for their 2008 "Glory Days" tour, re-teaming with his former Yngwie Malmsteen, MSG and Cosmosquad rhythm partner, drummerShane Gaalaas. He remained a touring member through 2019, during which he also recorded many albums and singles with the band.
In 2013, Sparks re-connected with his former Yngwie Malmsteen band mate, vocalistMike Vescera, in Riot On Mars. The project released their debut album,First Wave, on Zain Records in Japan in 2015. Guest musicians on the album include drummers BJ Zampa and Shane Gaalaas as well as vocalistDan McCafferty ofNazareth fame who contributes vocals on a cover of the Nazareth song, "Beggars Day".[2]
Solo[edit]
with Riot On Mars[edit]
with B'z[edit]
with Ted Nugent[edit]
with Scorpions[edit]
with Dokken[edit]
with Tony MacAlpine[edit]
| with Uli Jon Roth[edit]
with Vinnie Moore[edit]
with Roland Grapow[edit]
with MVP (Mike Vescera Project)[edit]
with John West[edit]
with Cosmosquad[edit]
with Miloš Dodo Doležal[edit]
with Michael Schenker Group[edit]
with Yngwie Malmsteen[edit]
with Guy Mann-Dude[edit]
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