Melvin Sparks was born March 22 1946 in Houston Texas. Melvin began playing the guitar at age 11 and played with various musicians & singers.  At 15 years old he went on tour with the Midnighters, an R & B band led by Hank Ballard, who wrote the song "The Twist." Two years later Melvin dropped out of high school and joined the Upsetters, a show band formed by Little Richard, which later backed Jackie Wilson, Curtis Mayfield, Sam Cooke, and other R & B hit-makers. After honing his craft on the "chitlin' circuit," Mr. Sparks left the Upsetters and decided to take a crack at New York City. There was a growing demand for musicians who could fuse popular Motown styles with jazz. And he had the added asset of being able to read music; many jazz guitarists played by ear.

With some help from his brother Danny and a fellow guitarist, George Benson, Mr. Sparks found work with the saxophonists Sonny Stitt and Lou Donaldson, the organists Jack McDuff and Jimmy McGriff, and others. Record labels like Blue Note and Prestige hired him for dozens of recordings. During this time Melvin also met & began dating his future wife Ms. Judy Bates. Melvin & Judy were married February 13, 1971. In January of 1981, Melvin, Judy & his children moved into a beautiful home located at Oneida Ave in Mount Vernon NY. 

Besides touring the world, Melvin (known as Melvin Sparks Hassan) also contributed to his community being a member of the Yusuf Shah Islamic Center located at 10 S 2nd Ave in Mount Vernon, NY 

We are asking for everyone's help in renaming Oneida Ave, Melvin Sparks Way in honor of a man who adopted the City of Mount Vernon NY as his own.