The Sparkles

The Sparkles
Origin	Levelland, Texas, United States
Genres	Garage rock
Years active	1957–1972
Labels	Caron, Hickory, Sundazed
Past members	Guy Balew Jesse Balew Gary Blakey Bob Donnell Carl Huckaby Stanley Smith Johnny Waller Charlie Hatchett Harold "Lucky" Floyd Donnie Roberts Bobby Smith Louie Holt Jimmy Marriot Gary P. Nunn Steve Weisberg

The Sparkles were an American garage rock band from Levelland, Texas, that were active between 1957 and 1972. However, the most popular version of the band was the line-up that existed from 1965 to 1967, and which recorded the songs "No Friend of Mine" and "Hipsville 29 B. C."

The first line-up of the Sparkles consisted of Stanley Smith and Carl Huckaby on guitars, Bob Donnell on bass, Johnny Waller on piano, brothers Jesse and Guy Balew on saxophone and vocals, and Gary Blakey on drums. The band made their first recording in 1958 for legendary record producer Norman Petty (who also worked with Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison), but the recording went unreleased. This line-up broke up shortly thereafter and reformed with Gary Blakey on drums, Charlie Hatchett and Stanley Smith on guitars, and an unknown bassist.

The band line-up changed again when drummer Harold "Lucky" Floyd, bassist Bobby Smith and guitarist Donnie Roberts joined the group, with Hatchett leaving to form his own group, The Raiders, along with Blakey. This line-up, the third, became quite popular locally and started playing in clubs in west Texas. Due to disagreements among the band members, this line-up also broke up. Harold "Lucky" Floyd and Bobby Smith then recruited Louie Holt, Gary P. Nunn and the drummer Jimmy Marriott, resulting in the fourth line-up having two drummers, although Floyd would sometimes sing.

Nashville record producer Larry Parks offered to sign the band to Hickory Records. The band agreed and released the 1966 single "The Hip", which became a major hit in Austin. Soon thereafter, the songs "Something That You Said" and "Jack and the Beanstalk" were recorded. All of these recordings were done in Odessa, Texas, at Tommy Allsup's Westex Studio. The following year, the band recorded "No Friend of Mine" and "Hipsville 29 B. C." in Nashville, Tennessee. When Nunn and Holt decided to quit the band, around 1968, Floyd, Smith and Marriott relocated to California and changed the band's name to the Pearly Gate, making a handful of appearances in a television series called Judd, for the Defense. They later returned to Austin and reformed the Sparkles and it was during this period that Steve Weisberg, future guitarist of The John Denver Band, joined the band.

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