Artists:Grant Sparks

Grant Sparks is a native of Mitchell County in western North Carolina. He graduated from Appalachian State University with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and from East Tennessee State University with a master’s degree in School Counseling. During these years, Grant channeled his energy into writing and performing his own music. Eager for outlets to express his talents, his musical career started when he began playing at local country clubs, restaurants and bars. It was there he learned that he had something to offer the music world. At first listen people were turning their heads kind of like a dog turns its head at a strange sound. However, it was well received. “The music I write doesn’t seem to fall into any one category but resembles many styles,” he says. I just try to write what I want to hear, and it’s not always mainstream material. I remember listening to an Abba tape in the tape player of my Mom’s 82 Pontiac. I thought the lyric “Take A Chance On Me” was “Chicken Chins On Me.” Either way, I was loving it. Later on I became so consumed by music and lyrics it was almost unhealthy. My early influences were the same as any other kid with a guitar. Led Zeppelin, Van Halen and Stevie Ray Vaughan were at the top of the list. I also fell in love with all the old blues. Once again, pretty typical. It wasn’t until I started writing that I found a voice. I think a listener should have a mental picture in their head after the first verse. Everything else just elaborates on that picture. Choruses and solos are just payoffs for listening. I like lyrics that are thick and sticky, common as a conversation and prolific as writing on a bathroom wall. Most artists are always looking for that big break, or the moment or event that propels their music career into the stratosphere. I have learned that for the most part there is no such thing as a “big break”. Success is a series of little victories that are few and far between. Along the way are countless times of joy, heartache, and struggle often referred to as mileage. Not just the struggle to be successful, but the struggle to satisfy my own expectations.