Harlan County Five String: Steve Sparkman’s Bluegrass Banjo Bonanza
Alright, buckle up, folks. If you’re itching for some down-home pickin’ and grinnin’, Steve Sparkman’s Harlan County Five String is your ticket to bluegrass bliss. Released back in ’97 on Copper Creek Records (a label that knows its way around traditional roots music), this album is like a warm hug from your grandma—if your grandma could shred a five-string banjo like nobody’s business.
The lineup here reads like a who’s-who of bluegrass royalty: Ralph Stanley II strumming rhythm guitar, James Alan Shelton laying down lead licks, John Rigsby bringing the mandolin magic, Jack Cooke holding it all together with his basslines, and James Price sawing away on fiddle. Oh yeah, and Sparkman himself? Dude absolutely murders it on the banjo. Murder being a good thing here, obviously.
Now let me tell ya about two tracks that stuck with me harder than grits at Sunday brunch.
First off, there’s “Holiday Pickin’.” This one starts off innocently enough—just a little noodling—but then BAM! It kicks into high gear faster than Uncle Joe chasing after his runaway pig at the county fair. The interplay between Sparkman’s banjo and James Price’s fiddle feels like watching two old friends argue over whose turn it is to buy beer—it’s lively, spirited, and kinda makes you wanna jump in yourself. By the time they loop back around to the main riff, I was halfway convinced my toes had started tap-dancing independently of my brain. That doesn’t happen often unless whiskey's involved.
Then there’s “Big Mon,” which sounds less like a song title and more like something you’d name a particularly rowdy pet monkey. But don’t let the goofy name fool ya—this track is serious business. It opens with a mournful fiddle intro that’ll make you want to sit on a porch somewhere contemplating life choices you haven’t even made yet. Then Sparkman comes in with these cascading banjo rolls so crisp you can almost smell the Appalachian air. There’s a moment near the end where everything drops out except for the mandolin solo, and holy smokes, does it pack an emotional gut punch. Like, I wasn’t expecting to cry during breakfast, but here we are.
Look, I could go on about how tight the ensemble playing is or how perfectly balanced the mix sounds, but honestly? What really sells this record is its soul. These guys aren’t just going through the motions—they’re living and breathing every note. You get the sense they’d be jamming whether anyone was listening or not, which is exactly what makes albums like this special.
In the end, Harlan County Five String isn’t just another bluegrass album; it’s a reminder that sometimes simplicity hits hardest. And hey, if nothing else, it might inspire you to dust off that old banjo sitting in your attic. Or maybe not—you do you. Either way, give this record a spin. Just be warned: once those tunes sink their hooks into you, you might find yourself humming them while stuck in traffic. Not that I’m speaking from experience or anything…
