Larry Sparks – John Deere Tractor

The bluegrass fold has opened its arms to a sizable number of new fans in recent years. They’ve come in through the back door via acoustic jam bands, popular movie soundtracks, and the media exposure given such acts as Alison Krauss & Union Station and Nickel Creek. But unless these new fans have done their homework, it’s doubtful they’ve heard of Larry Sparks. And it’s even less likely they’ve listened to John Deere Tractor.

Recorded in 1978 and previously available only on LP and cassette, John Deere Tractor still sounds timeless nearly a quarter-century later. Sparks’ voice may be more husky soul than high lonesome, and his bluesy guitar licks highlight several songs, but the former Clinch Mountain Boy never strays far from tradition. And he does so without resorting to novelty and shtick. This album is not “retro-” anything.

At a time when bands such as J.D. Crowe & the New South, New Grass Revival, and the Seldom Scene were already pushing the boundaries of bluegrass, Sparks delivered a breath of fresh air. The poignant title track, framed as a young farm boy’s letter to his mother, captures the bleakness of urban life and his longing for home. “Girl At The Crossroads Bar”, “Love Of The Mountains”, and Keith Whitley’s “Great High Mountain” have all become bluegrass mainstays.

But Sparks’ influence has reached far beyond the bluegrass community. Just as Sparks looked to the catalogs of Kitty Wells, Flatt & Scruggs, and the Stanley Brothers, subsequent acts such as the Judds and the Desert Rose Band recorded material from this vital project.