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Update: Stevie Passes Aloha Ohana Family. Steve passed away January 20th, 2005 at 12:05 p.m. at the local hospital after a three year battle with Lou Gehrig's Disease. It was a relatively easy passing, all things considered, it went well for him physically. He died just starting to smile again... There will be a memorial service at National Presbyterian Church chapel in Washington D.C. on February 20, 2005. Next year, on the anniversary of his death, January 20, 2006, there will be an event at the Baldwin Park pavilion, Maui, Hawaii, and his ashes will be laid to rest in Hawaii. Steve has asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Kingdom of Hawaii. Mahalo for your love, support, prayers. I have gotten to know so many wonderful people through Steve. I hope I'll be able to see you again at one of the memorial events. Aloha, |
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Stevie was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease in March 2002. There is no treatment or cure and he has been unable to work for more than 2.5 years. His wife Susan took him across country and eventually back to Maui in Sept 2002 to live for about a year. They returned to the mainland in September 2003 and are residing in Hope, Idaho (near Sandpoint in northen Idaho in the clear mountain air of the Rocky Mountains). Some of you may remember that Stevie played guitar with the Spitfires' band at Alonzo's for the BBS in Sept 2001 and when old Choo Choo opened for James Cotton at the old 8 X 10 in July 2001, in Baltimore. I performed with Stevie's band, the Leisure Scientists, at the Nissan Pavillion in 2001 opening for Jimmy Buffet. He also came out and performed with me at two Herring Run Watershed Benefits and treated us to some of his Hawaiian music as he lived and performed with native Hawaiians on Maui for many years.
The line -up and support at Stevie's benefit was just amazing with lots of live recording and fantastic lights and video of the whole show by Planet Lightworks (Craig and Joe and staff). The Aloha benefit referred to Steve's many years in Maui. Tom Lepson and Ronnie Newmeyer were instrumental in helping Stevie bring this benefit to fruition. We celebrated Stevie's life and music and it was the "party Stevie always wanted to have" .
If you care to donate to help Stevie's living and medical expenses please see the contact information below and Steve's message.
Aloha Friends, Family, and Mailing List Menehunes from Stevie "Guitar" Sparks, LeisureScience@earthlink.net, 6/22/04
This will likely be the last time most of you will hear from me directly. This guy who loved language, words, and use of them is finally falling silent.
For some of you, there will be more information here than you need -- or asked for, so I'll just invite you to enjoy the resources I've assembled on my website, which may serve to enlighten or entertain.
The illness consumes a little more of me daily -- on the physical, anyway. I'd like to offer to those of you who may be struggling with similar challenges in your own lives or with loved ones, the suggestion of a particular book which I have found to be the single most useful tool in negotiating this mysterious and complex passage of dying. Knowing Jesus loves me is just not quite enough to handle the journey alone -- for me, anyway. The book is called "The Dossier on the Ascension" by Serapis Bey, and can be ordered through the Summit Lighthouse bookstore, which I've provided a link to on my web site. It should be read aloud and it's a relatively small book of lectures on making the transition consciously. Anyway, I hope it may bring some comfort to those who may want to try it out.
Regarding my own life and the need to come clean of any transgressions against my brothers and sisters, I would just like to make a couple of comments. It seems to me if I'm guilty it would come somewhere under the heading of my obsession with getting my music heard, and the way I behaved toward that end, in trying to enlist support for my enterprises. It's true -- the obsession was always about wanting to make a living with my music. But what some people may not have realized, particularly in the last ten years or so, is that this obsession was fired not by my ego, but by the threat of jail time I was facing for unpaid child support.
I saw no other way out, but to try to cash in on my music. It's also one reason why I seemed to move around a lot. If I had lived the life I wanted to, I would have faded into ego-less bliss living off-the-grid in Hawaii with the locals a long time ago. But because of my children I recorded four albums and drove people crazy hustling them to try to get something into the marketplace so I could make some money and get the government off my back - AND hopefully re-establish a relationship with my children. Just thought you might like to know. With all the madness I went through, it still didn't work. They're still after me, and my children apparently still feel betrayed and want very little to do with me. It finally made me sick, and so now I have another way to deal with it. And the book and your prayers and Susan and time are all helping me reach that goal, which will be my primary focus from now on. I've done everything that I can, and I'm all out of fight now. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is way too weak.
So all that's left is LOVE. The love we share when we enjoy our friendships, good music, good times, and spiritual truth. Thanks for being a part of my life. I'm experiencing a great deal of sadness in leaving it all behind because, in spite of all the suffering, greed, and war, I still love this beautiful, miraculous world. And here we are, finally in the Aquarian Age. Lousy time to check out, if you ask me. Oh well.
When the time comes, friends will celebrate music and life for me at various events, which will be posted on the events page of my web site. In D.C. there will be a memorial service. There will also be a one year memorial service at St. John's Episcopal Church in Keokea, Maui, Hawaii. Those of you that have wanted to visit Maui might take that opportunity because it's a fabulous location and I'm sure there will be plenty of aloha to go around. There will also be gatherings in Roberts Creek, British Columbia (where my kids grew up), Invermere, B.C. - my favorite home, where I have many friends and wonderful mountain memories, Sandpoint, Idaho (where I lived for 8 years), and maybe even in Austin, Texas, with my many friends there.
I've asked that a commemorative stone be laid in the Hubert family plot in beautiful Keokuk, Iowa, on the Mississippi River, where my adoptive parents rest. They gave me a rich and wonderful life. But I hope for my remains to rest at the old church in Nahiku, Maui, the wild jungle home place of my Hawaiian family.
I'll still be reading my e-mail and guest book - http://www.stevieguitar.com/guestbook.php - as long as I can, if you want to write. But for me to communicate too much now is far too difficult. Feel free to pass this on to any mutual friends who may not be on my e-mail list. Thanks.
So be kind to each other. And I'll see you in the funny papers.
Thanks again for your love and support. Enjoy the music.
Stephen
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
All-Star Benefit for Maryland native Steve Hubert was held MONDAY, JULY 15, 2002 - 7:00 to 12:00 PM (?)
THE STATE THEATER, Falls Church, VA
www.TheStateTheater.com 703-237-0300
Featuring: BOBBY RADCLIFFE, TOMMY LEPSON BAND & SOUL CRACKERS, JOE TRIPLETT & ROSSLYN MT. BOYS, JON CARROLL, TOM WISNER, MARY ANN REDMOND, BIG JOE MAHER, STEVE WOLF & MAC WALTER, Blues Harp Masters BRUCE EWAN, BRETT LITTLEHALES, CHOO CHOO CHARLIE WILLIAMS & MARK WENNER, Tropical Light Show by LIGHTWORKS PLANET EARTH, and many other special guests and surprises. Live video and sound recording.
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An All-Star Benefit for Maryland native Steve Hubert ("Stevie Guitar" Sparks) - who was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's Disease in March 2002 - was staged at The State Theater in Falls Church, Virginia on Monday, July 15 from 7 to 11 PM. Ticket Price is a Suggested Minimum Donation of $20. The first 100 ticketholders will receive a free copy of Steve's 1995 Leisure Scientists CD "In The Blink Of An Eye" - which features Mac Walter, Charlie
Williams, Chris Watling, Peter Bonta, Rico Petrucelli, Ace Hansmann and Dennis Hash, and was s released for the first time at this event. For more information: 1-866-StevieG. Wear your favorite Aloha shirt!
THE PERFORMERS TO DATE:
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BOBBY RADCLIFFE: Radcliff started to play guitar at the age of 12, in The Home Of The Blues - Chevy Chase, Maryland. In the 60s and 70s he worked on the Washington DC blues scene, associating with veterans such as Thomas "TNT" Tribble and Bobby Parker. By the end of the 60s he spent some time in Chicago, meeting and absorbing the music of bluesmen such as Magic Sam, Otis
Rush, and Jimmy Dawkins. Radcliff moved to New York in 1977 and in the early 80s he recorded a little edition album for the A-OK label. Towards the end of the decade he was recommended to his present label, Black Top Records, by Ronnie Earl, and his first album for them was highly acclaimed. He earned five stars in Downbeat Magazine, and was named as an heir to Stevie Ray
Vaughn's throne by Rolling Stone. Radcliff is a strong singer and a powerful, rhythmic guitarist who utilizes elements of soul and funk in his playing. He returns to his roots from New York for this special event, honoring a neighborhood friend, who he lists as one of his early influences in the Washington music scene (http://www.jpc-music.com/7248681.htm).
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BIG JOE MAHER: Veteran Jump Blues and Swing bandleader with The DynaFlows, the vocalist and drummer is an icon of the D.C. music scene and a staple at blues festivals across the country and abroad. He and Mark and Bobby may be reunited for a DC Blues Allstars reunion. (http://www.severnrecords.com/maher/home.html)
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MARK WENNER: Founding member and frontman of the legendary NIGHTHAWKS - considered by some the "best bar band in America", Wenner came out of the same Maryland high school music scene in "The Home Of The Blues" as Steve Hubert, in the 1960's, and is always available to support the cause when a friend is in need. For thirty years, Mark and The Hawks have toured, bringing D.C.'s brand of blues to the world (http://www.thenighthawks.com/hawks.htm).
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MARY ANN REDMOND: A dynamic vocalist and commanding presence on stage, the recipient of 13 WAMMIES has recently been given a career boost by her association with producer/guitarist John Jennings (Mary Chapin Carpenter), who has been recording and doing live shows with her around the Washington area recently (http://www.marb.com/maryann.htm).
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BRUCE EWAN: The celebrated Vocalist and Harmonica stylist, younger brother of Bobby Radcliffe, has distiquished himself internationally with his band THE SOLID SENDERS, and their unique blend of musical influences - he's a musical legend in Brazil, and has influenced musicians throughout South America and Europe. (http://mp3.washingtonpost.com/bands/bruce_ewan.shtml).
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BRETT LITTLEHALES: The first of the young devotees of the Blues Harp to emerge from the Maryland suburban underground scene ("The Home Of The Blues ) in the late 60"s, "Big Boy Little" inspired Pierre Beauregard (his younger cousin), Bruce Ewan and Mark Wenner, all of whom watched his emergence on the D.C. scene with Bobby Radcliffe and Guy Dorsey in The Northside Blues
Band, which epitomized the raw, un-aldulterated energy of the blues masters, as interpreted by kids refuting the hypocrisy of their priviledged up-bringing. Brett still sings and plays with a unique understatement and grace, which distinguish him from the crowd as what he is: a guy with a lot of class, and a lot of great material. His appearance here, on the bill with Bobby Radcliffe, re-kindles a unique historical collaboration in D.C.'s musical legacy.
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TOMMY LEPSON Band: Honored by his peers with 11 Washington Area Music Awards (WAMMIES), the Rhythm & Blues Vocalist, Hammond Organist and Guitarist is one of the premier voices of the D.C. music community - the epitome of
"Blue-Eyed Soul". His popular 1970's group SOUL CRACKERS reunites for this
event (http://www.tommylepsonband.com).
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JOE TRIPLETT & ROSSLYN MOUNTAIN BOYS: A Washington musical icon, Triplett was lead singer of THE REEKERS and THE HANGMEN in the 1960's - among the seminal bands of the new progressive rock movement of the time, with their single: What A Girl Can't Do - b/w - Don't Call Me Flyface. Then, as frontman with the original D.C. hippie/family band, CLAUDE JONES, and later the cosmic cowboy group ROSSLYN MOUNTAIN BOYS, he distiguised himself as one of the most influential of this area's songwriters and performers. Rod Steward recorded his classic "Hard Lesson To Learn", which he will come out
of retirement to render by request at this Benefit, with other members of THE ROSSLYN MT. BOYS: BOB BERBERICH (also of The Hangmen and Grin, with Nils Lofgren), RICO PETRUCELLI & PETER BONTA (Grammy-winners with Mary Chapin Carpenter).
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JON CARROLL: A founding member of THE STARLAND VOCAL BAND, with Margo Chapman and Bill & Taffy Danoff, this dynamic keyboardist and vocalist has written hit songs for Linda Ronstadt and others, and, for many years, has recorded and toured with Grammy-winner Mary Chapin Carpenter (http://www.angelfire.com/music3/joncarroll).
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TOM WISNER: Tom Wisner, a native of the Chesapeake watershed, is a singer, songwriter, and educator devoted to raising awareness of the spirit and beauty of place. He is the recipient of the Maryland Governors Citation as well as excellence awards from the University of Maryland and from the President of the United States for the unique quality of his work to preserve the Bay using song and stories in education programs for all ages. His recorded albums -- "Chesapeake Born," "Equilibrium," and the Parent's
Choice album "We've Got to Come Full Circle"-- are part of the National Smithsonian Folkways collection. His song "Chesapeake Born" was used as the title piece for a National Geographic Special and his narration and songs highlight the Chesapeake Bay Foundation video "Living on the Edge." He is trained in both ecology and the arts and has worked as a naturalist, teacher, and graphic and performing artist. He will perform the sing-along classic, "Chesapeake Born", for his friend Steve, at this benefit (http://www.chestory.org/cd.htm).
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STEVE WOLF & MAC WALTER: Swing King Bassman Steve Wolf established himself with Danny Gatton and many other local legends, meeting guitar virtuoso Mac "The Professor" Walter in Deanna Bogart's band. Six european tours, working with and opening for Deanna, resulted in a firey cohesion between these two masters (http://www.swingspeak.com/macsteve.htm).
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CHARLIE WILLIAMS: Philadelphia native "Choo-Choo" Charlie is a master of the harmonica, who, with his band THE PITFIRES, has been performing at regional Blues Festivals and clubs for years. He has performed in Europe having lived in Germany for 5 years. He met Steve while on vacation in British Columbia in 1994, and they have since recorded and performed together in this area as well as in Hawaii (http://www.choochoocharlie.com)
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BACKGROUND NOTES ON STEVE HUBERT AND THE BENEFIT:
Washington area native Steve Hubert (a/k/a Stevie Sparks) has been diagnosed with ALS - Lou Gehrig's Disease http://www.lougehrigsdisease.net) - by George Washington University Medical Center. ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - http://www.alsa.org) is a terminal, irreversable condition, with mysterious traits: it has no known specific medical cause, treatment or
cure, but leads through progressive degeneration of the nerves and muscles to immobility, paralysis and eventual failure of vital functions.
Many of Steve's friends, including RON NEWMYER (Groovy, The Lazy Boys, Nils Lofgren Band, Bill Holland & Rent's Due, Newkeys, etc), "Choo-Choo" CHARLIE WILLIAMS (The Spitfires), BRUCE EWAN (The Solid Senders), TOMMY LEPSON (The Lazy Boys, Soul Crackers), and others, have gotten together to organize this Reunion Benefit Concert & Dance, on Monday July 15th, at The State Theater, in Falls Church, Virginia, from 7 to 11 PM (www.TheStateTheater.com). The theme of the Aloha Spirit refers to Steve's many years in Hawaii - wear your favorite Aloha shirt!
Nils Lofgren and Bill Kirchen are signing two of Steve's guitars, which will be auctioned at the event (since they can't attend due to their schedules), and there will be an all-star line-up of many of the area's finest musicians and entertainers contributing to the spirit of the evening. Tim Pace, Joe Rowe and Craig Beales of Lightworks Planet Earth (Nissan Pavillion, EMMERGENCY!, The Ambassador Theater, etc) are doing a light show, and will be filming the entire event.
The purpose of the event is to raise funds which will hopefully offset Steve's family expenses during this period of uncertainty. He has been unable to perform professionally since last fall, as medical bills for the last ten months of tests he's been through have been mounting, and his wife Susan faces an uncertain financial future as his caregiver. Steve has two children: Jeremy (20) and Elizabeth (18).
Among the popular bands Steve booked and fronted here in his hometown, before he headed west, were THE VAGRANTS (with Guy Dorsey, George Spano, Karl Harr and Bruce Carroll - won Battles of the Bands, appeared on TV's WING DING in 1967, and were the subject of a piece by Mike Oberman in The Evening Star), THE RESUME'S (who became CRYSTAL CLEAR for a weekly house gig at Ocean City, Maryland - Summer 1968, then later shared bills locally with Nils Lofgren and other emerging acts), and finally STILLROVEN - a house band at the legendary EMERGENCY! (http://www.crosstownarts.com/) in Georgetown (with Alan Adkins, Louie Newmyer & John Patterson...featured "The William Tell Overture" - headlined and opened shows for The
Kinks, Bob Seger, Cold Blood, Buddy Guy, Zephyr, Cat Mother, Grin, Catfish and others), and was a house band at the former Beachcomber Lounge in Ocean City, during the Summer of 1970 (where he first jammed with Tommy Lepson).
He had a brief record deal in Hollywood at age 18 - with ALBATROSS, after playing the 1969 Teen Fair at The Hollywood Palladium, and held house club gigs in Los Angeles area beach towns (Manhatten, Hermosa, Redona, Santa
Monica) in 1970 and Œ71, with his power trio - ROCK CANDY.
In May of 1971, Steve was invited to Maui, Hawaii, where he soon earned the nickname "Stevie Guitar" with the locals, becoming a legend there until this day, mixing Rock and Roll, Rhythm & Blues and Country with Hawaiian music He played drums with a few bands, including Maui's infamous Space Patrol, and hung out along the way with a wide variety of influential musical icons,
including Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Buddy Miles, Johnny Rivers, Boz Scaggs, Bernie Leadon, Jim Messina, Joe South, Willie Nelson, and many legends of Hawaiian music.
As a solo pianist and guitarist, Steve held residencies for years at world-famous resorts in Hawaii (Kapalua Bay, Wailea, Hotel Hana Maui) and the Canadian Rockies (Banff Springs, Radium & Fairmont Hot Springs). He later toured the U.S. as bassist and harmony vocalist with Canadian legend Ian Tyson (Ian & Sylvia), at the height of Tyson's influential career (http://www.iantyson.com). In recent years, with his band The Leisure Scientists, he has been co-billed in Maui with such acts as Robben Ford, C.J. Chenier, and Dave Mason, and as a soloist with Danny O'Keefe, Hal Ketchum and other popular artists in the Pacific Northwest.
In 1979, after sponsorship to reside near Vancouver, British Columbia, in order to record his first album there, Steve began side-lining as a music journalist, which he has enjoyed over the last 20 years, with popular columns in newspapers and magazines in the U.S. as well as in Canada. His most recent writings can be found in the archives of Maui Time Magazine, for which he was staff music writer for over three years, doing in depth profiles and interviews with Hawaiian and international celebrities - until the magazine sold in January of this year
(http://www.LeisureScience.com/mauitime.htm - - http://mauitime.com/-- http://www.mauitime.com/v03iss23/music.html -- http://mauitime.com/v04iss21/music.html).
Steve first noticed serious problems with his hands and his voice last September, while opening shows for Jimmy Thackery at The State Theater and Jimmy Buffett at Nissan Pavillion. Since then he has slowly lost the ability to speak clearly or use his hands for normal functions.
Steve inspired many of us to play music - or WITH his music - when we were just kids, and he leaves us a legacy of goodwill through his songs - he's been a national finalist four times at the prestigious Kerrville "New Folk" Songwriter's Competitions ("The World Series Of Songwriting"- http://www.kerrvillefolkfestival.com), and won two Mid-Atlantic Song Contest awards, the only time he entered that competition, in 1993.
Check his website for further details: http://www.StevieGuitar.com
Among those musicians and personalities - mostly friends of Steve's - who are being invited to the benefit:
Charlie Williams & The Spitfires (confirmed), Tommy Lepson Band with Paul, Wade, Caesar & a special Soul Crackers reunion (confirmed), John Hurd (confirmed), Ron & Louie Newmyer (confirmed), Bruce Ewan (confirmed), Bobby Radcliffe (confirmed), Brett Littlehales (confirmed), Big Joe Maher (confirmed), Eric Brace, Jimmy Thackery, Nils Lofgren (signing a donated guitar for auction), Tom Lofgren, John Jennings, Mary Ann Redmond (confirmed), Jon Carroll (confirmed), Joe Triplett (confirmed), Bob
Berberich (confirmed), Rico Petrucelli (confirmed), Mac Walter (confirmed), Steve Wolf (confirmed), Wade Matthews, Andy Hamburger, Peter Bonta, Robbie Magruder, Mark Wenner (confirmed), Jan Zukowski, Pete Ragusa, Bill Holland, Janine Wilson, Ron Goad (confirmed), Ira Gitlin, Chris Watling, Ace Hansmann (confirmed), Alan Adkins, John Patterson (confirmed), Bob Hume, Chris Sonnenberg (confirmed), Jamie McKinnon (confirmed), Franny Day, Mike Henley, Paul Bell, Keith Grimes, Bill Kirchen (out of town - signing a donated guitar for auction), Johnny Castle (out of town with Bill - shucks, but knock Œem dead on the west coast, guys!), Scott Johnson (confirmed), Gary Crockett, Andy Holland, John Harbison, Greg Carpenter... Damien Einstein, Weasel, John Hall, Cerfe Colwell (will attend as schedule allows), Mike Schriebman (confirmed), Maria Villafana, Jay Rosenthal, Richard Harrington, David Eisner, Tom Carrico, Tim Pace and Lightworks Planet Earth (confirmed)... and others. (Many of these above have since confirmed)
We are suggesting a $20 minimum donation at the door, and this will not only gain admission to the event, but the first 100 attendees will receive a free copy of Steve's previously un-released 1995 Leisure Scientists CD, "In The
Blink Of An Eye"- featuring Mac Walter, Charlie Williams, Peter Bonta, Rico Petrucelli, Ace Hansmann, Chris Watling and Dennis Hash - which was just re-mixed by Bob Dawson at BIAS, and is being released for the first time at this benefit.
Celebrate Life! "NO MUSIC - NO LIFE"
Thank you for your support and particiation.
May The Spirit within guide you to peace of mind in this world of conflict.
The Leisure Science Development Team