Music - Chris Sparks

Be sure to check out all of the lyrics and Chris' notes for the story behind each song. Choose a song from the list above!

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The Story Behind the CD
In September 1997, Chris was playing guitar for a friend's country band as a favor and a change of pace. The band leader had scheduled a gig and had several singers to carry the full show. Chris was the band leader and had six weeks to get together a band of guys who had little or no experience playing at all, let alone live. By the time the gig came, all but one singer had dropped out. Chris sang the songs in rehearsal when each singer left. So, Chris ended up doing 20 of the 25 songs. To boot, they had a keyboard player from a major country act who had agreed to play. Due to potential rain, he dropped out an hour before the gig. So, Chris was carrying the gig as lead singer and instrumentalist. He pulled the gig out and to his surprise signed autographs for over two hours. "People having that kind of response to me and my music is truly an honor. It is truly a humbling experience! That gig was responsible for really building my confidence as an artist. It's the first time people called me, 'an artist'."

In October, the same friend had a recording session scheduled. He invited Chris to come along and observe or maybe even record a couple songs. He then offered Chris half the session. So, Chris prepared to record a couple songs. Chris took the first half of the session and burned through six songs before lunch. So, he offered Chris the opportunity to take the rest of the session. Chris was literally pulling songs out of his song notebook. Major CD's require a team of people who take months to select songs! One after another, the musicians easily cut nine songs. The session musicians said it was one of the best sessions they ever had. "That's the biggest compliment I've received in this business. The session musicians have a tremendous amount of talent and get little recognition or appreciation. Having their respect is just as important as having the respect of music fans."

Chris then had a demo cassette with scratch vocals. Scratch vocals are used to give the musicians a rough idea of the vocals and are usually done dry ( no effects) and with a cheap mic. They are not intended to be heard! So, a radio station heard about the tape and requested a copy. They immediately offered Chris the opportunity to play a major concert with three signed artists for over 1,000 fans. The only condition was that Chris had to have a CD out. The station said that they liked several of the songs on the demo and recommended he use them. So, Chris returned to Nashville in February of 1998 and recorded four other songs including 'Rub It In', 'Born To Ride' and 'I Can't Write A Love Song' and one about his grandmother that did not make the CD. It will be on a future project along with 'San Antone', a song from the first session!

Chris ended up doing all of the vocals for 12 songs in 10 hours. The CD took a total of six days from recording to mastering. Chris returned and printed the CD and the single. The station put five of the songs in regular rotation and promoted Chris as a major artist. The gig went incredibly well with Chris signing autographs for over four and a half hours. That night a sister station offered Chris the opportunity to do a concert at a Busch race in Charlotte.

The CD has since gone onto be an underground hit and has received air play all over the country and in at least seven other foreign countries. "We didn't expect to get air play at all. So, to get any is a big compliment." It also became the Official CD for a major rodeo organization. Chris was offered many other deals and gigs. But, he decided to retrench and build his talents. "Everything happened so fast and was so unplanned, I wanted to be ready to do it the best I can. So, I've taken all this time to write and work on my voice and stage presence. I've learned a tremendous amount about the business and feel confident that my next project will be everything I want it to be!"

"While this CD is not one that I would present to record labels, I'm extremely proud at what we did in six days without any planning. I'm amazed and pleased at the reception it has gotten from the fans. That's the most important part. There was a lot of magic in that studio and the events that brought me there. I think people can hear that in the music."

Did you know that Chris' first CD was an accident? It was a friend's recording session. Chris was just along for the ride. Chris was then offered the first half of the session. It went so well that the friend said he could take the whole session. A radio executive heard this demo & wanted to play it on the air! Read the rest of the story to your left!