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Bobby Sparks and the Hi-Tension Band / Hi-Tension / Soul Medics / Bobby Sparks


Newport, Ky 1965-2000s

The Hi Tension band was a working band for more than 30 years. 

They started as a teen soul-garage band around 1965 using the name Soul Medics. Two of the founding members were guitarist Randy Vater and bassist Roger Riedinger, according to a 1995 article about the band. 

The band recorded a 45 at Jewel in 1969. They cut a frantic version of the Sam and Dave hit "Warp It Up" and  soul arrangement of the standard "Danny Boy". A Youtube post lists the band members as Vater, Rick Jennings on bass, Jack Bresser (the author of the Youtube post) on drums, Mike Brooks on trumpet, Walter Coleman on tenor sax, with Butch Gillespie and Bobby Sparks as the lead singers. 

Bobby Sparks' obituary (He died in 1996) says he was in the band for 25 years. He had also recorded a 45 in 1968 on his own. The Bobby Sparks 45 was issued on Geauga, one of the Brite Star related labels. 

The band changed their name to Hi-Tension around 1972. It's possible that the name change occured when Bobby joined the group and he was not in the band for the Soul Medics 45. There's always something that doesn't add up when 40-50 year old memories are tapped.

The band, credited as Bobby Sparks and the Hi-Tension band, recorded another 45 in 1973, and here the story takes another turn. The record was released on the Karat label which seemed to be owned by Harold Sparks. Certainly Harold and Bobby were related. The Karat label also issued two 45s by the Combined Forces, who was said to include former members of the Hi-Tension band. None of the members listed above were listed as members of the Combined Forces. Jack Bresser was no longer a band member when they recorded the Karat label, but Riedinger (along with Sparks and 'Waters', probably a typo for Vater)  is listed for writer credit on the A-side "Get Back To You". The B side was a cover of "United We Stand", the big hit by Brotherhood of Man, a UK studio group.

The band kept working in the SW Ohio/northen Kentucky area for many years. They recorded their 3rd, and apparently final 45 in 1980, recording their versions of three 1960s soul/R&B hits. The record was a Jewel custom job. 

The band continued to play into the early 2000s., after Bobby's death. Randy Vater passed away in 2018. Accoring to Randy's obituary, his first band was the Mustangs.

Discography:
Wrap It Up / Danny Boy - Jewel 799, Dec 1969
Get Back To You / United We Stand - Karat 516, Nov 1973
For Your Precious Love ; I Stand Accused / For Your Precious Love ; Lonely Soldier - Hi-Tension 8005, 1980 (8005 is the Jewel mastering code, meaning the 5th record in 1980)

Bobby Sparks - The Loser / The Face (Is the Mirror Of The Mind) - Geauga no # (Rite 24033/4), 1968