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
Beyond Measure Covers Shawn Mendes’ “Stitches”
The vision of the Brigham Young University’s (BYU) co-ed A Capella group, Beyond Measure, is “to be a professional, unified group centered on the teachings of Jesus Christ that inspire all through uplifting music to do good works to become closer to the Savior.” They...
The Love of Family Helps Make the World A “Better Place”
Sara Arkell (The Piano Gal) and Nadia Khristean joined their amazing talents to produce a beautiful music video covering Rachel Platten’s song “Better Place.” The awe-inspiring video conveys the powerful message that families are both important and extraordinary. The...
Jason Lyle Black’s “Morning Prayer” Brings Serenity to the Soul
For the past several weeks, the news reports have been replete with continuous incidents of civil unrest in many parts of the nation. As a result of these upheavals, innocent lives have been lost – snuffed out like a virtual candle in the wind. Watching the newscasts,...
Magic of Disney and Lindsey Stirling Collide to Create “Something Wild”
After taking a nine-month hiatus, Lindsey Stirling has resumed touring the nation with her playful, yet precise, performances which bring excitement, laughter, and joy to audiences worldwide. Just before taking the stage to perform one of her amazing shows on 11 July...
New Video “Glory” Delivers Powerful Message
All a person has to do is turn on the local newscast, and it is apparent that there is a significant amount of civil unrest and upheaval in society at the moment. Much of this disturbing activity stems from the proverbial walls of division continuously being...
92 Keys Magnificent Cover of “Welcome Home”
On 11 July 2016, the amazing violin and piano virtuosos, Crista Guthrie and Trevor Loucks, together known as 92 Keys, released a dynamic new music video on their YouTube channel which is a cover of Radical Face's “Welcome Home.” Thus far the video has garnered more...