The New Christy Minstrels®

Under the Direction of Randy Sparks

FOR BOOKING INFORMATION CONTACT

  Producers, Inc.

 

 

This is now the OFFICIAL website of

The
New Christy Minstrels
®

 Under the Direction of Randy Sparks!

There's only one such group in the whole world, and you've reached the one and only place we are now OFFICIALLY located in the cyber-world of the Internet.

Photography by Sherry Rayn Barnett

 

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE LISTED AT END OF SITE

(or click here)

 

Randy Sparks, Founder of The New Christy Minstrels®


   randy@thenewchristyminstrels.com

 MESSAGES FROM RANDY

 

*****************************

Jackie Miller Davidson
jackie@thenewchristyminstrels.com

 

Clarence Treat
clarence@thenewchristyminstrels.com

 

Dolan Ellis
dellis@dolanellis.net

DolanEllis.com 

 

Art Podell
art@thenewchristyminstrels.com

 

Becky Jo Benson
beckyjo@thenewchristyminstrels.com

BECKY JO AND CHARLIE

 

Bill Boycott
bill@thenewchristyminstrels.com

BuffaloBillBoycott.com

 

Chuck Cole, when available
chuck@thenewchristyminstrels.com

 


Photo by Jeff Jacobs

 RS & THE NCM R&D Department

When Dolan Ellis "retired" to become  Arizona's Official Balladeer, RS & his Minstrels were left flatfooted with no replacement member up-to-speed not even one in mind.  They knew they had a problem.   Recruiting began immediately.  Randy brought Gene Clark from Kansas City, then somebody suggested Doug Brookins.  Trial by fire was hardly an acceptable way to replace the irreplaceable Dolan Ellis, so Randy created Ledbetter's, a rehearsal hall with an audience on Westwood Blvd. near UCLA in West Los Angeles.

 MANY MORE DISCOVERIES WERE MADE HERE:

  SUCH AS:

******************************

WALK Of FAME!

 

A tax deductible contribution has been made to the NEW CHRISTY MINSTRELS' Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Expense Account by each of the following couples, groups, companies, individuals, etc. 

Burl & Dorothy Ives

Randy & Diane Sparks

Becky Jo & Vecca  Benson

Allan & Barbara Evans

Jeff & Cheryl Jacobs

Barry & Mari McGuire

Chuck & Kathy Cole

DTE Energy, Detroit Power

New Christy Publishing Co.

Cherrybell Music Pub. Co.

JOHN S. SUCH

JOE AND DEBBY VAN HOOK

JANET AND DAVID WALSH

HAL WEINER

GORDON ADAMS

JEFF SAFRAN

BRIAN EBALO

JUDY C. BASS

DONATIONS FOR
THE STAR ON THE HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME
FROM OUR WONDERFUL FRIENDS IN KANSAS!

  

            IF YOU'D LIKE TO  MAKE A TAX

    DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTION , CLICK ON

       THE DONATE BUTTON.  

******************************

               Chat Room 

                     Free Java Chat from Bravenet.com

******************************

Let us introduce you to the principal booking agent  for the New Christy Minstrels,......

 

**************************************

Discography:
1961 thru 1977
 

************************************************

FAN MAIL

 
To Randy and all the New Christy Minstrels,
 
What a show you and your wonderful group put on for us Quartzsite snowbirds!  It was a thrill to see and hear you perform some of that wonderful music that I loved way back then and still  do now.

  I was truly a folk-music fan back in the 60's-70's,  moved more toward country western ("old country") after we started coming to Quartzsite and I learned to play guitar and got brave enough to sing at the jams, but folk is still my favorite, and the songs I love best to sing are ones like Sloop John B., Roseville Fair (as a duet with my husband) Banks of the Ohio, This Land is Your Land, etc.  (In fact, my "signature song" is another Woody Guthrie number, "Roll on Columbia" and I get more requests for it than any other song I do.

It's one of the songs I sing on a CD we made a couple years ago.)
 
Awhile back my daughter (now 46 years old) e-mailed me with an exciting revelation: she'd just realized the Hi Jolly song was about Quartzsite!   She and one of her good friends sang it long and loud during their school years (Marshfield High School in Coos Bay, Oregon, Class of '79) when they'd go on bus trips for debate tournaments or for out-of-town sports events.
 
I think we had two LP records of your group.   Lord knows what ever happened to them through several moves between then and now.   I remember some of the titles, like Railroad Bill, In the Pines, Goodbye Suzanne Don't Cry Suzanne, and of course the Hi Jolly song. 

  Do you have some of these and/or your other oldies on any CD's thatwould be available now?    I bought your "Recycled" CD at the Quartzsite show, and LOVE it----so far haven't been able to get Green, Green out of my mind and find myself humming it all day long.  But--I would really like to re-learn the Hi Jolly song as well as some of the others among my old favorites from those by-gone years if you have other CD's for sale.

 
 
Seeing your great show was the highlight of this winter season.   Thank you all for making our little town of Quartzsite a stop on your tour this winter.   We know it's sort of strange and funky ("normal" people probably would not choose this place for their winter home!) but we do love our music and that's the reason we're here in the first place!
 
Sincerely,    Lois Hall

Response:  (Yes Lois, if you'll go to THE STORE on this site, you'll see the CD's that we have for sale).

******************************

I just received the new CD and positively love it. Your music

is still good and relevant as it was 40 years ago.  Thanks for keeping it alive.

Judy C. Bass

 

 

Photo courtesy of

Don Benson, House of Photographic Arts,  916-487-1005

 

 

 

REGISTER WITH US:

Would you like to be on our mailing list?

register with us at barb@barbevans.com

Just put "register" in the subject line

AND INCLUDE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS

 and we'll add you to our list

**********************************************

 

Why The New Christy Minstrels?

It has been more than 40 years since a group of young men and women made their national television debut on THE ANDY WILLIAMS SHOW in the fall of 1962. That group, THE NEW CHRISTY MINSTRELS, would go on to win a Grammy for their debut recording, "Presenting The New Christy Minstrels".

They are still singing and delighting their fans, old and new.

Original members who still appear with the group include Randy Sparks, Clarence Treat, Jackie Miller Davidson, Dolan Ellis, and Art Podell.

 Special new members are Becky Jo Benson, Bill Boycott., and  when available, Chuck Cole.

Randy Sparks continues to write the music and direct the group.  Clarence Treat has taken on the responsibility of vocal arrangements, and we are thankful that he is a nit-picker.


Jason Barney is our hero in the recording studio!

***************************************

Photo taken on Voyager of the Sea 4/19/2008

MESSAGE FROM RANDY

 

     

 

 

 

AVAILABLE  NOW!!

 

High Plains Public Radio Review

Click above link to read the full review.

 

Sometimes old school is just that- old! Yet the New Christy Minstrels have a newCD that is anything but moth-ridden.

by Mary Palmer

Click above link to read the full review.

Greatest Hits CD. Contains:

Denver

This Land is Your Land

Ramblin'

Today

Follow the Drinkin' Gourd

 Saturday Night

Green Green

My Mind Set on Freedom

Just Americans

Julianne

Eve of Destruction

Mighty Misissippi

Last Farewell

 

 

********************

Visit:
THE STORE

 

Now Available:

New Country Minstrels

Converted to CD

 

RANDY SPARKS AND THE BACK PORCH MAJORITY

CD includes:

Ain't That Happy

Payin' Your Dues Again

Something That Nobody Wants

You Make It Look So Easy

One Good Song

Sad Songs And Love Songs

Now And Then

Mack The Truck

Back In "Bakersfield Again

Let It Shine (Let The Love Shine)

Silver threads And Golden Needles

 

 $20.00 INCLUDING POSTAGE IN THE U.S.

*********************

FAN MAIL

Dear Randy,

 

I was just listening to my husband's recordings and one of them was Today. I love Robert's rendition and phrasing. What a beautiful song! I want to thank you for writing it.

 

All the best to you and your family.

Vera Goulet

********************************

Discography:
1961 thru 1977
 

 

***********************************

Calling All Minstrels

NOTICE

WE'RE LOOKING FOR ALL THE FORMER MEMBERS OF THE NEW CHRISTY MINSTRELS.  IF YOU WERE A MEMBER, PLEASE CONTACT US SO WE CAN PUT YOU ON THE LIST.  .

THANK YOU

gadams1970@hotmail.com

***********************************

   you will likely remember many   of  their most famous songs;

THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND

TODAY

DENVER

MIGHTY MISSISSIPPI

DRINKIN' GOURD

 PREACHER AND THE BEAR

GREEN GREEN

RAMBLIN'

HI JOLLY

JULIANNE

LAST FAREWELL

JUST AMERICANS

SATURDAY NIGHT

  and many more !!!

 "CHRISTMAS MUSIC -- OLD AND NEW"

 IT'LL BE A MERRY CHRISTMAS

ONE STAR

CHRISTMAS WISHES

GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN

THE SHEPHERD BOY

OH WHAT A BEAUTIFUL CITY

 

EBENEZER SCROOGE

FLOR de la NOCHE BUENA

NO ROOM AT THE INN

DEAR FRIENDS AND GENTLE HEARTS

DADDY, DOES SANTA RIDE A HARLEY?

 SING HOSANNA HALLELUJAH

     ***************************************               

                 FAN MAIL

Thank you all as your performance aboard the Voyager was the highlight of our cruise.  My husband and I happened to be in one of the lounges where you were having a jam session early on in the cruise and instantly became groupies, fans, and self appointed p.r's to our friend and other passengers.  The music and comraderie of  your group and most of all the wit of Randy Sparks was so entertaining we had to find out about the performance aboard ship.  Royal Caribbean missed out by not publishing you in the daily bulletin, but we were grateful for the smaller room performance rather than a large auditorium.  Thank you all for the great entertainment.  We will follow your web site for future performances.

 Judy Strawn,    Seabrook TX

*************************************

 

 

Taken on The New Christy Minstrels Cruise! Under the direction of Randy Sparks.    4/20/2008

Al Gerhardt. ALG Unique Photography 713-410-6542

 

"This map is intended to be representative of the performances scheduled as of the 5th of April, 2008.  They do not necessarily indicate a particular location in each state. The color of the dot will change to blue as the performances are completed. "

 

-------2008-------

FRIDAY, JUNE 20, 2008

The Maumee Indoor Theater

6601 Conant Street

Maumee, Ohio 43537

Concert 2:00 P.M. & Concert 7:00 P.M.

Reserved Seating: $20.00 and $25.00

Presented by

Eddie Boggs Productions

and

Mary’s Enterprises

For tickets and information call (419)

824-3999

 

MONDAY, JUNE 23, 2008

Chautauqua Amphitheater

Chautauqua Institution

Bowman Street and Roberts Avenue

Chautauqua, New York 14722

Concert 8:15 P.M.

For tickets and information:

http://www.ciweb.org/

 

FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 2008

Calumet Theatre

340 Sixth Street P.O. Box 167

Calumet, Michigan 49913

Concert 7:30 P.M.

For tickets and information:

http://www.calumettheatre.com/events.htm

 

SATURDAY, JUNE 28, 2008

Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua

Ski Hill Road (Mt. Ashwabay)

Bayfield, Wisconsin 54814

Concert 8:15 P.M.

For tickets and information:

http://www.bigtop.org/index.php

 

SATURDAY, JULY 12, 2008

SPARKS IN THE PARK

Randy Sparks with

Becky Jo Benson,

Jenny Lind Smith,

& Chuck Cole

For the Micke Grove Zoo Benefit

Micke Grove, California

Dinner and Concert details to follow.

Tickets and information to follow.

 

SUNDAY, JULY 13, 2008

SPARKS IN THE PARK

Randy Sparks with

Becky Jo Benson,

Jenny Lind Smith,

& Chuck Cole

Angels Camp, California

Dinner and Concert details to follow.

Tickets and information to follow.

 

THURSDAY, FRIDAY, & SATURDAY

AUGUST 28, 29, & 30, 2008

Mountain Annie’s Dinner theater

Located in the heart of mid-town Ruidoso!

2710 Sudderth, Ruidoso, New Mexico 88345

Doors open 6:00 P.M., Dinner 7:00 P.M.,

Concert 8:00 P.M.

For Reservations: 505-257-7982

For dinner/concert tickets and information:

http://www.mountainannies.com/

 

 

 

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2008

McKinney Performing Arts Center

111 North Tennessee Street

McKinney, Texas

Concert 7:30 P.M.

McKinney Concert Association

Attendance by season membership only.

Six (6) concerts in the concert season for

$95.00

Tickets and information:

http://www.mckinneyconcerts.org/

 

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2008

McMorran Place

Sports and Entertainment Center

701 McMorran Boulevard

Port Huron, Michigan 48060

Concert 8:00 P.M.

Tickets and information:

http://www.mcmorran.com

 

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2008

Kirtland Community College

Gilbert I. Stewart Auditorium

10775 North Saint Helen Road

Roscommon, Michigan 48653

Concert 7:00 P.M.

Tickets and information on the

September 2008 through June 2009

concert season:

http://kirtland.edu/kcpa/default.asp

 

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2008

Marion Palace Theatre

276 West Center Street

Marion, Ohio 43302

Concert 8:00 P.M.

Tickets and information:

marionpalace.org

 

 

 

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2008

City of Morganton Municipal Auditorium

401 South College Street

Morganton, North Carolina 28655

Concert 8:15 P.M.

Tickets and information soon to be listed

in the Events section of

City of Morganton Municipal

Auditorium web site:

http://www.commaonline.org/index.htm

 

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2008

Newberry Opera House

1201 McKibben Street

Newberry, South Carolina 29108

Concert 8:00 P.M.

Tickets and information:

http://www.newberryoperahouse.com/

 

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2008

Odell Williamson Auditorium

Brunswick Community College

50 College Road, NW

Supply, North Carolina 28462

Concert 7:30 P.M.

Tickets and information:

http://www.bccowa.com/geninfo.html

 

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2008

Turnage Theater

150 West Main Street

Washington, North Carolina 27889

Concert 8:00 P.M.

Tickets and information:

http://turnagetheater.com/index.php

 

 

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2008

Stanly County Agri-Civic Center

26032-B Newt Road

Albemarle, North Carolina 28001

Concert 7:30 P.M.

Maps and directions:

http://stanlyciviccenter.com/map.htm

Tickets and information:

http://stanlyciviccenter.com/index.htm

 

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2008

Sellersville Theater 1894

24 West Temple Avenue

Sellersville, Pennsylvania 18960

Concert 7:30 P.M.

Directions: Click Here

Tickets and information:

http://www.st94.com/index.html

 

 

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2008

Irvington Town Hall theater

85 Main Street

Irvington, New York 10533

Concert 8:00 P.M.

Tickets and information:

www.westcoproductions.org

 

THURSDAY, & FRIDAY

OCTOBER 16, & 17, 2008

Cox Performing Arts Center

Dixie State College

325 South 700 East

St. George, Utah 84770

Concert 7:30 P.M.

All concert seats are reserved.

Tickets, reservations, and information

shall be posted for the Celebrity Concert

Series 2008-2009 Season.

Tickets and information:

http://www.dixie.edu/concerts/

 

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2008

Folsom Community Center

52 Natoma Street

Folsom, California 95630

Concert 7:30 P.M.

Tickets and information:

http://www.flcca.org/

NewChristyMinstrels.shtml

 

 

‘Whistle Stop’ Tour

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2008

Kalispell, Montana

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2008

Missoula, Montana

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2008

(To be announced) Shelby, Montana

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2008

Stone Child School, Montana

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2008

Great Falls, Montana

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2008

Helena, Montana

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2008

Travel Amtrak

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2008

Minot, North Dakota

Tickets and venue information to follow.

 

 

FRIDAY, & SATURDAY

NOVEMBER 21, & 22, 2008

Center for Arts & Performance

8815 West Wisconsin Avenue

Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53226

Concert 8:00 P.M.

Wisconsin Lutheran College

Guest Artist Series 2008-2009

Tickets and information:

http://www.wlc.edu/arts/index.aspx?id=701

 


-------2009-------

MONDAY, JANUARY 12, 2009

McCallum Theater

73000 Fred Waring Drive

Palm Desert, California 92260

OPENING ACT---The Chad Mitchell Trio

concert 8:00 P.M.

The New Christy Minstrels® concert 9:00 P.M.

Tickets and information:

http://www.mccallumtheatre.com/

 

THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 2009

Mesa Spirit RV Resort

3020 East Main Street

Mesa, Arizona 85213

Concert 7:30 P.M.

Tickets and information:

To follow.

 

THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 2009

Golden Vista RV Resort

3710 South Goldfield Road

Apache Junction, Arizona 85219

Tickets and information:

To follow.

 

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2009

Neel Performing Arts Center

5840 26th Street West

Bradenton, Florida 34207

Concert 2:00 P.M.

Tickets and information:

To follow.

 

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2009

Caldwell Auditorium

301 South College

Tyler, Texas 75701

Tickets and information:

To follow.