<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=40LuZh_1H2Ktkbr00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=40LuZh_1H2Ktkbr00" width="800" height="1067" ><figcaption>&nbsp;Speedy Sparks: Bob Zink.</figcaption></figure>Joe “King” Carrasco &amp; El Molina, Texas Tornados, Sir Douglas Quintet, LeRoi Brothers, Texas Mavericks, Alvin Crow &amp; the Pleasant Valley Boys, Roky Erickson, James Hand, the Bizarros, the Nortons, Teddy &amp; the Tall Tops, Mystic Knights of the Sea, Pops &amp; the Spirit Uncles, Rhythm Rats, TG BAD (Two Guitars, Bass And Drums), Lazy Lester, Koolerators, Gulf Coast Playboys.That’s an incomplete roster of the Austin bands that featured Speedy Sparks on bass. It was common for him to simultaneously play with two or three and hold down residencies at different clubs. The Houston native was 79 when died on October 7. During a memorial held at Saxon Pub, bandmates sang his praises, invariably with a laugh, often with a tear. Junior Brown delivered a letter, reading, “Thank you for the boundless heart that you shared with everyone. Thank you for your generosity in helping me achieve my musical dream and for your belief in its success. We had so much fun sitting around the kitchen table dreaming up Dynamic Records. ‘Vocal with Cowboy Band’ on my 45 rpm is an example of how we laughingly turned that fantasy into some sort of low-budget reality. Tanya Rae and I will always cherish our mutual love, and the memories of our adventures will never fade.” Drummer Mike Buck told me, “It would be hard to think of anyone more representative of the soul of Austin, Texas. He was a lifer – unrepentant rock and roller to the end.” Online, Saustex label head Jeff Smith described Speedy’s playing as “understated, grooveful, foundational – elevating. He intuitively knew exactly what and how much to play, no matter the style.” Miller “Speedy” Sparks moved to Austin in ’72, but his most visible gig – with Tex-Mex supergroup the Texas Tornados – didn’t happen until 1989, when he was in his mid 40s. His roommate on the road, drummer Ernie Durawa, points out that the Tornados had to back four bandleaders – Doug Sahm, Freddy Fender, Flaco Jimenez, and Augie Meyers. “Trying to make four bandleaders happy at one time, we were a perfect rhythm section, their foundation. Sometimes I’d almost forget that Speedy was there – like auto pilot, that pocket, 35 years. Never any pull and tug.” If it was roots music – blues, country, early rock and roll – Speedy could play it. In a video interview for Austin Music History, he declared, “When I was coming up, country music was redneck music. When I was 21, the only place to get a beer was at a redneck bar or a strip club. Felt safer in a strip club, believe me.” An ’80s garage/psychedelic band, the Bizarros included Sparks, future music journalist/record producer Bill Bentley on drums, along with Ike Ritter and John Reed on guitars. In ’84, he launched his own label, Dynamic Records, producing singles by Ritter, Erickson, and guitarist Chris Holzhaus, an 11-song EP by Two Hoots &amp; a Holler leader Rick Broussard, and the first solo recording by Brown. In the early ’80s, when Sparks was in a relationship with Kay Sexton, he was a surrogate father and strong musical influence on her two sons, guitarmen Charlie and Will Sexton. At the memorial, Charlie choked up, stating, “He was the most important person in my life.” Guitarist Eve Monsees represents another younger generation that worked with Sparks, in Eve &amp; the Exiles and TG BAD. “Both on stage and off, it was all about the groove with Speedy,” she told me. “No stage was too big or too small. I learned so much from him and his calm, steady presence. I became a better rhythm guitar player because of him. I learned the importance of taking the time for a good meal on the road.” For Speedy’s 50th birthday, Continental Club owner Steve Wertheimer secretly booked Sparks’ favorite group, Louisiana swamp-pop’s Cookie &amp; the Cupcakes. Speedy was led in blindfolded just as the band began their hit, “Mathilda.” When the blindfold was removed, Wertheimer says, Speedy had tears in his eyes. Sparks released only one solo album, OK, Let’s Play, consisting of old-school rock originals and a cover of Buddy Holly’s “Heartbeat.” “Guitar Grady” Pinkerton relayed one of countless humorous encounters. “A singer was showing him her new song, and she said, ‘It starts on the C minor.’ He told her, ‘That don’t matter to me. That’s why they’re called minor chords. They’re not that important.’” In the Austin Music History video, a wise but self-effacing Sparks says, “I still just play what I play. I haven’t really learned anything, because then I couldn’t play what I know. Once you learn too much, you risk being unemployed real quick, that’s for sure. When I play with a bunch of folks my age, you can see the magic. When I’m playing with like a lot of tourists, about 40 or 50, no magic. They don’t put any magic back.” With a laugh, Durawa recalls a gig in Switzerland. “We were at a chalet and Speedy said, ‘You know, most people have to pay a lot of money to come here. Us three-chord idiots get to come here for free.’” © 2025 Dan Forte; all rights reserved by the author. This article originally appeared in VG’s March 2026 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.</div></body>

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Joe “King” Carrasco & El Molina, Texas Tornados, Sir Douglas Quintet, LeRoi Brothers, Texas Mavericks, Alvin Crow & the Pleasant Valley Boys, Roky Erickson, James Hand, the Bizarros, the Nortons, Teddy & the Tall Tops, Mystic Knights of the Sea, Pops & the Spirit Uncles, Rhythm Rats, TG BAD (Two Guitars, Bass And Drums), Lazy Lester, Koolerators, Gulf Coast Playboys.

Check This Action: Speedy Sparks 1945-2025

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Joe “King” Carrasco & El Molina, Texas Tornados, Sir Douglas Quintet, LeRoi Brothers, Texas Mavericks, Alvin Crow & the Pleasant Valley Boys, Roky Erickson

Check This Action: Speedy Sparks 1945-2025

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