Sparky Parker Band

Eric “Sparky” Parker is a blues/rock/soul guitarist and vocalist from Houston, Texas with the grit, drive, and talent needed to stand tall in the eternally-competitive Texas music scene. Houston fans knew him as a young blues guitar prodigy but Sparky has grown far beyond that kind of simple label. Sparky is now a triple threat who writes quality songs, sings with a feeling, and plays with ferocity. His latest release, In The Dark, saw the light of day in the fall of 2019 and broke Sparky to a larger, national audience.

Sparky began playing professionally straight out of high school, cutting his teeth as a frontman with the rock band Bayou Monster and playing guitar in the blues band Mojofromopolis. He also joined the Houston rock band Funky Mustard, who he still plays with to this day. Sparky went on to log road miles with Blues Music Award-winning artists Diunna Greenleaf and Vanessa Collier, playing important shows around the USA and Europe, including The Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise, The Blues Music Awards show, and The Chicago Blues Festival among dozens of other major music festivals.

Sparky launched the Sparky Parker Band in 2012 with Kevin Berry (drums) and "Fender" Phil Lock (bass). The band is a high-energy outfit whose debut album, Live In Houston, was captured live in the band’s hometown at Dan Electro's Guitar Bar. The trio format lets Sparky dig deeply into his influences, which include Jimi Hendrix, The Allman Brothers, Texas and Chicago Blues, Classic Soul, R&B, and Classic Rock. The seven originals and three covers from the latest record show off the band's versatility. Hard-driving rockers like "In the Dark" and "This Old Thing" keep your head nodding and foot tapping. Bluesy originals like "Games" and "Good Man" show that Sparky can hang with the best of them when it comes to a more traditional electric blues sound.

Sparky has been compared to Gary Clark Jr, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Jonny Lang but creates intensely original music that never falls into the shadows of imitation. A shy and reserved person offstage, music has always been the best way for him to forge connections with other people. It’s how he tells his story and speaks his mind. Anyone interested in where the blues is heading in the modern era should discover Sparky Parker today.