The Back Porch Majority
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The Back Porch Majority was an American
folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...
group founded by
Randy Sparks Lloyd Arrington Sparks (July 29, 1933 – February 11, 2024), known professionally as Randy Sparks, was an American musician, singer-songwriter, and founder of The New Christy Minstrels and The Back Porch Majority. Biography Sparks was born on ...
in 1963. It was intended to be a rehearsal space for
The New Christy Minstrels The New Christy Minstrels are an American large-ensemble folk music group founded by Randy Sparks in 1961. The group has recorded more than 20 albums and scored several hits, including "Green, Green (song), Green, Green", "Saturday Night", "Tod ...
, another group Sparks had established in 1961, but it ended up becoming successful on its own. The group released six albums, appeared on several TV shows and was chosen to provide entertainment at the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
in 1965.


History

In 1961 singer/guitarist
Randy Sparks Lloyd Arrington Sparks (July 29, 1933 – February 11, 2024), known professionally as Randy Sparks, was an American musician, singer-songwriter, and founder of The New Christy Minstrels and The Back Porch Majority. Biography Sparks was born on ...
formed
The New Christy Minstrels The New Christy Minstrels are an American large-ensemble folk music group founded by Randy Sparks in 1961. The group has recorded more than 20 albums and scored several hits, including "Green, Green (song), Green, Green", "Saturday Night", "Tod ...
, a ten-piece
folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...
group that made over 20 albums and had several
hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014, a British compilation album s ...
. In May 1963 Sparks stopped touring with the group to devote his attention to a club he had established in Los Angeles called Ledbetters. While Sparks remained in charge of The New Christy Minstrels, he passed his role of director and arranger of the group's live performances onto singer/guitarist
Barry McGuire Barry McGuire (born October 15, 1935) is an American singer-songwriter primarily known for his 1965 hit " Eve of Destruction". He was later a singer and songwriter of contemporary Christian music. Early life McGuire was born in Oklahoma City; ...
, who had become the "star" of the group after singing on their hit Green, Green. In protest to being overlooked for the position of director/arranger, singer Dolan Ellis left the group and Sparks replaced him with
Gene Clark Harold Eugene Clark (November 17, 1944 – May 24, 1991) was an American singer-songwriter and founding member of the folk rock band the Byrds. He was the Byrds' principal songwriter between 1964 and early 1966, writing most of the band's best ...
from a trio called the Surf Riders. To find a new group for the remaining members of the Surf Riders, Jim Glover and Mike Crumm, Sparks created The Back Porch Majority. Sparks intended The Back Porch Majority to be a performing group similar to, but a little smaller than The New Christy Minstrels, and a group that The New Christy Minstrels could draw new members from. The Back Porch Majority would be a "training ground", or a "minor league farm team" for The New Christy Minstrels. But The Back Porch Majority did better than Sparks expected, and they appeared on '' Hullabaloo'' and other musical
variety show Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a compà ...
s. In August 1965 it was selected, along with
The Brothers Four The Brothers Four is an American folk singing group formed in 1957 in Seattle, Washington, and best known for their 1960 hit song " Greenfields". History Bob Flick, John Paine, Mike Kirkland, and Dick Foley met at the University of Washingt ...
, The Bitter End Singers and others, by ''Life'' magazine to entertain US President
Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...
and his guests at the
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. The group's success secured it a record deal with
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
subsidiary
Epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale Epic(s) ...
, which resulted in five albums being released between 1965 and 1967, including a live album recorded at Ledbetters. Sparks promoted several Back Porch Majority members to The New Christy Minstrels, including Paul Potash, who replaced Clark when he left the Christys, and Mike Settle. The Back Porch Majority also launched the musical careers of some of its members, including singer/guitarist Kin Vassy, who went on to record with
Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (born Kenneth Donald Rogers) (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer and songwriter. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particul ...
,
Lionel Richie Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of the Motown group Commodores; writing and recor ...
,
Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actress, and philanthropist, known primarily as a country music, country musician. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton's debut album ...
and
Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 â€“ December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...
. In 1971, Randy Sparks re-formed The Back Porch Majority and toured under the name "Randy Sparks and the Back Porch Majority" through 1979. Sparks and the BPM performed frequently with Burl Ives and Shirley Jones, acting as opening act and back-up band. The group was featured performing the title song to the Disney film, '' The Apple Dumpling Gang''. Members included Mary Lee Duval née Sunseri, Nancy Hooper née Stewart, Dan Gladish, John Erickson, Mark Holly, Dan Murray, Ted Jolly, Ross Sears, and Marv Allin. Mike Clough, singer and guitarist, born May 17, 1942, died on October 3, 2019, at age 77. Michael Crowley, born Michael Crumm in Oklahoma in 1942, died April 27, 2001, in his home in Lakewood, CO at the age of 58.


Discography

*''Live from Ledbetters'' (1965) *''Meet The Back Porch Majority'' (1965) *''Riverboat Days'' (1965) *''That's the Way It's Gonna Be'' (1966) *''Willy Nilly Wonder of Illusion'' (1967) *''RS & The BPM, The Initial Album'' (1971) *''New Country Minstrels'' (1976)


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Back Porch Majority, The American folk musical groups Musical groups established in 1963 Musical groups disestablished in 1977 1963 establishments in the United States 1977 disestablishments in the United States