Harry Sparks

Harry Sparks was the founder of the Famous Old Time Music Company in Cincinnati, Ohio. He grew up during the folk and bluegrass era of the 1960s and joined a band at a young age. Over the years, he began repairing instruments—first for his bandmates and friends—which eventually led him to open his own store. For some time, Harry made his own line of banjos, modeled after the vintage instruments of the 1920s and 30s. He studied architecture in college and built a career in that field while always keeping a hand in music. His work as an architect even connected with his passion for music retail when George Gruhn asked him to help relocate Gruhn Guitars in Nashville from Broadway to its new home on 8th Avenue.