Wissenswertes

As of September 2008, he lives in Mokelumne Hill, California, a former gold mining town, with his wife, Diane Jergens. They live in a historic building, which is also a museum of memorabilia of the gold rush days, and Diane occasionally tends bar at the Hole In The Wall Saloon, located in the downstairs of their home.

Founder and first musical director of The New Christy Minstrels.

One of the group's first hits was Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land." Their debut album in 1962 for Columbia Records won a Grammy and went to #19 on the Billboard charts. A hit single off their second album, "Green, Green", hit #3 in 1963.

Sparks left the group in May 1963 after growing tired of the demands of arranging, managing, supervising the group, as well as performing. The group disbanded in 1971 after such minor hits as "Chim Chim Cheree" (#20) from the Mary Poppins (1964) soundtrack. He recently returned and performed with a revived group of "Minstrels."

Founder and first music director of the successful pop/folk chorus The New Christy Minstrels, he also wrote, or co-wrote, many of their biggest hits ("Green, Green", "Today" and "Saturday Night").

Singer and guitarist and folk musician who performed solo mixing folk music and Broadway tunes before the "folk craze" of 1958 (The Kingston Trio, The Highwaymen) had him founding the upbeat The New Christy Minstrels in the early 1960s.

The New Christy Minstrels took their name from Christy's Minstrels, a performing group founded by Edwin Pearce Christy (1815-1862). In 1842 Christy, a Philadelphia-born showman, organized Christy's Minstrels, an ensemble that turned Negro spirituals, contemporary popular songs and seemingly anything else with a tune that could be carried into a huge sensation.

His first wife, Jackie Miller, was one-half of Jackie and Gayle (Gayle Caldwell) and was part of the original ten-member lineup of The New Christy Minstrels in 1961. Gayle came in later as a replacement.

After many years of semi-retirement and running his California ranch, he recently re-formed a group of New Christy Minstrels alumni. This group tours under the name Randy Sparks and the Minstrels. (Dezember 2002)

Randy and his second wife, Diane Jergens, have four children.

Attended the University of California at Berkeley.

In 2009 a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to the New Christy Minstrels and him.

Wrote "Saturday Night in Toledo, Ohio" which was recorded and made famous by John Denver.

Has four children, Kevin Ray (born 1963), twins Cameron Michael and Melinda Anne (born 1966), and Amanda Hamilton (born 1970).