Larry Sparks - Kind'a Lonesome

(Lesco Records L-101/791236) 1979.

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Although this album was the first to be released after his Sings Hank Williams tribute in 1977, the John Deere Tractor LP had been cut earlier in the Spring of 1978, but was held up by Rebel's purchase of the King Bluegrass label and subequent change of ownership.

In late 1979, Larry presumably frustrated with the delay in releasing John Deere..., went back into the studio to record 'Kinda Lonesome' on his own Lesco Record label.

1979 also saw Larry opening his own record shop and music center plus mail order service in Richmond, Indiana.^[1] By November 1979 Glen Duncan and David Bowling had been added to the Lonesome Ramblers and 'Bluegrass Unlimited' reported that "A new album is now in the making to be released on Larry's own label".^[2]

The resultant LP contains some of Larry's quintessential songs. The slow sentimental Blueridge Mountain Mornings with cascading fiddle fills and tasteful dobro; melancholic A Face In The Crowd and Girl At The Crossroads Bar all being classic 'Larry' material .

Five tracks on the album had previously been been recorded for John Deere Tractor: Nobody's Business, Girl At The Crossroads Bar, Carter's Blues, Love Of The Mountains, and Guide Me Lord (as Great High Mountain).

Nobody's Business is an uptempo version of the song which had been a live favourite of both The Stanley Brothers and Flatt & Scruggs, with the Stanley's recording it on their Meet Me Tonight / Nobody's Business (Blue Ridge 514) 1962. This version relies much more on Glen Duncan's fiddle work with the banjo lower in the mix, than the more 'Scruggs-like rendition on John Deere Tractor.

Girl At The Crossroads Bar was written by Bill Bryson who recorded it on the Bluegrass Cardinals eponymous debut album in 1976. Compared to the John Deere Tractor version, the backing instrumentation is more 'full-on', but both are great!

Love Of The Mountains, by Allen Mills was similiary recorded on Lost & Found's 1975 debut LP 'First Time Around'. Another catchy song, Larry altered the opening lyrics to "Two trees on the hill side of the mountain, always looking up toward the sky...", rather than the original "The trees...". This version also features Glen Duncan's fiddle work prominently, with the version on John Deere Tractor having more restrained back-up. Both feature a split guitar/mandolin break by Larry.

Too Late To Worry was written and recorded by Al Dexter in 1944, and also featured by Molly O'Day on her Radio show.

The album includes two instrumentals: Lesco - a boogey-woogey guitar number with jazzy fiddle, dobro & bass breaks; and Larry's signature guitar instrumental Carter's Blues which is a different version to that later included on Early & Essential Vol. 2. Originally recorded as a vocal piece by the Carter Family, Larry's instrumental version owes as much to Earl Scruggs as it does Maybelle Carter.

The soulful Guide Me Lord aka Great High Mountain was written by Keith Whitley. In an interview with Jon Weisburger for 'No Depression' magazine Larry recalled: "I was lacking one song for the (John Deere) album and Keith Whitley was down there at the studio, and he said 'I've got a song I think you'll like, it'll really suit you and your style of singing. I'm going home tonight, and I'll bring it tomorrow." The song was listed as Guide Me Lord on this album, and Great High Mountain on John Deere Tractor. (NB: Not the same number as Great High Mountain on Ralph's 1973 I Want To Preach The Gospel LP). If anything, the version here is starker and more visceral than that on John Deere Tractor.

A Face In The Crowd had also previously been recorded on Sparklin' Bluegrass (1975). The version here is noticeably slower with lush multi-tracked fiddle, and lovely dobro backing.

The album was recorded at Programme Audio's "Studio A" in Main Greenfield, Indiana. It was later later reissued as A Face In The Crowd in 1985 (Old Homestead OHS-90161) with a couple of extra bonus tracks.

Larry later re-cut a splendid version of Great High Mountain on It's Just Me (2023)

• Larry Sparks: guitar, mandolin, vocals
• Tommy Boyd: banjo, dobro, tenor vocal
• David Bowling: bass
• Glen Duncan: fiddle, baritone vocals

Other artwork / related images:

[1] 'General Notes' section of the Jan 1979 edition of 'Bluegrass Unlimited'.
[2] 'General Notes' section of the Nov 1979 edition of 'Bluegrass Unlimited'.