Joe Bennett
Joe Bennett was a native of Spartanburg, South Carolina where he grew up in the Cannon’s Campground community and attended Cowpens High School. He developed a love for music at an early age and took private guitar lessons from the late Jerome Fowler who once taught the legendary Hank Garland. As a child, Bennett started a band called The Jamborettes.
In 1956, while still in high school, he formed the rock and roll band that came to be known as the Sparkletones, which is now enshrined in the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. The band members, ranging in age from 13 to 16 at the time the band was formed, included: Joe Bennett, the eldest of the group, on guitar, Wayne Arthur on bass, Howard “Sparky” Childress on guitar and Jimmy Denton on drums. In January 1957, Bob Cox, a talent scout for CBS, held auditions at the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium, and The Sparkletones took first prize at the event. Convinced they would be a success, Cox quit CBS to manage the group and flew them out to New York City to sign with ABC-Paramount. Their big hit was the song “Black Slacks.” They toured, appeared on the “Ed Sullivan Show” and even met Elvis Presley.
Joe Bennett, the well-known leader of the Rockabilly group often billed as Joe Bennett and The Sparkletones, passed away on Saturday, 4 July 2015 at the Rainey Hospice House in Anderson, South Carolina at the age of 75. He had been suffering from complications related to Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia as a result of being exposed to the chemical Agent Orange while serving in the Air Force during the Vietnam War. Not only will he be remembered as the leader of the Sparkletones, but he will also be evoked for his work and passion as a teacher.
Follow Joe Bennett and The Sparkletones
Recent Posts
The Killers Release Their Sixth Studio Album – “Imploding the Mirage”
The Killers’ sixth studio album, Imploding the Mirage, was released on Friday, 21 August 2020, after an almost three-month delay due to the coronavirus pandemic. The album is 41 minutes 59 seconds in length and was released by Island Records in the United States and...
Operation Underground Railroad Ambassadors Unite Their Voices in a Powerful Rendition of “Rescue”
Human trafficking is one of the most deplorable crimes on Earth. It is an abominable form of modern-day slavery that is driven by the evil hearts of individuals whose sole purpose is to dehumanize other individuals, be they men, women, or children, through their...
BYU Vocal Point and a Virtual Choir of 800 Musicians Worldwide Create a Stirring Rendition of “Nearer My God to Thee”
On 10 April 1912, the RMS Titanic, a British passenger liner operated by the White Star Line, set sail on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York. On 14-15 April 1912, at around midnight, the luxury liner hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean....
From a Distance David Archuleta and the Rexburg Children’s Choir Created an Awe-Inspiring Music Video
Two years ago, Ben Watson founded the Rexburg Children’s Choir with children 6-17 from across eastern Idaho. Thus far, the group has released four music videos, and Ben wanted to release something extra special this spring. He was impressed with a hit song made...
The Bonner Family’s Powerful Rendition of “Run and Tell That” from “Hairspray” Sends Succinct Message
The Bonner Family teamed up with their fellow Latter-day Saints behind the YouTube channel Working with Lemons and created a music video with a powerful and succinct message. Using the song “Run and Tell That” from the 2002 musical, Hairspray, they hope to shed a...
Celebrating 90 Years of “Music and the Spoken Word” Broadcast
This summer, the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square are commemorating 90 years of the weekly Music and the Spoken Word broadcast. To celebrate the longest running national radio program’s 90th year of broadcasting, the Choir will host a special worldwide...