A.J. Sparks & Crew - Working On Love
Brand New Soul Junction Release
By
Louise in News Archives
Published 02 Jan 2013
Press Release: A.J. Sparks & Crew “Working On Love” Soul Junction 520
Release Date: Monday January 7th 2013
https://soundcloud.com/chalkster/aj-sparks-and-crew-both
A.J. Sparks (real name Anthony Jones) is one of Detroit’s most respected session musicians who started his career as a drummer and percussionist at the age of 12.
A.J’s early career was nurtured under the watchful eye of legendary Funk Brother Joe Hunter whom the young A.J always referred to as “papa Joe”. By the time A.J was eighteen he was backing some of the biggest names on the Detroit music scene.
While playing drums for Edwin Starr during a performance at the Apollo Theatre in New York one night, the in house musical director made the lasting quote “that boy can sure beat the sparks off those drums” and so the stage name of “A.J. Sparks” was born.
A.J was employed by many local Detroit recording studios including Sonny Marshall’s Dotty’s label and Ernest Burt’s Magic label, featuring on all The Mad Dog & The Pups releases amongst others. A.J’s drum rolls can also be found on The Chapter 8, The Flaming Emeralds, The Detroit Emeralds and the Floaters Fee label releases.
A.J also recorded the Funk anthem “Put It In The Pocket” for Fee Records as “A.J. Sparks & The Spark Plugs” with the plugs being Donald “Crazy Legs” Austin and Howard Carter.
A.J. also featured as a session musician on his childhood friend Michael Henderson’s” Do It All” album as well as the later “Slingshot” album which Michael recorded with Venna Keith.
Further A.J. Sparks credits include working with Parliament and Funkadelic main man George Clinton on his “Cinderella Theory” and “The Awesome Power Of A Fully Operational Mother-ship” projects.
More recently A.J has been involved as a co-producer on Ronnie McNair’s first solo project the current “Living My Life” album release.
A.J is currently operating his own Detroit Black Smoke Productions Company, and it is with one of his own Black Smoke productions that we at Soul Junction Records kick off the New Year in style with. The incredibly soulful and classy “Working On Love”.
The backing vocals on “Working On Love” are provided by a young and up and coming all female group known as 777 Jackpot who were accompanied and supervised by former Golden World and Revilot records recording artist, Ms Pat Lewis. While the b-side, see’s A.J and Crew return to their familiar funk orientated roots with “Gotta Make It Do What It Do” with the Crew member supplying the vocal accompaniments being none other than Mr P-Funk himself George Clinton.
For further information please contact John Anderson or Dave Welding
Tel: +44 (0)121 602 8115 E-mail sales@souljunctionrecords.co.uk
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