Out Of Africa: Q’s With Veteran Independent Promoter Sparkie Martin

G.O.A.T.
Ebet Roberts / Redferns – G.O.A.T.
The legendary Nigerian artist Fela Kuti, who Martin promoted, performing with his band Egypt 80 at New York’s Felt Forum in 1986.

Sparkie Martin is a veteran independent promoter who’s worked with stone-cold legends, including James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones and Barry White. He’s also promoted shows by leading musical luminaries from Africa including Fela Kuti, Baaba Maal, Angélique Kidjo and Youssou N’Dour. Pollstar caught up with the high-energy and outspoken Martin, who resolutely believes Africa will be the source of the “next generation of worldwide music.”

Sparkie Martin
Courtesy Sparkie Martin – Sparkie Martin
Pollstar: So you have two independent promoter companies, Spark Africa and House of Soul?
Sparkie Martin: Yes, one’s my African promotions company, the other is the non-African music I do.
When did you first begin promoting? 
I started in the late ‘60s with a company called Show Stoppers at The Manhattan Center, which is now Hammerstein Ballroom, and then went to a place called Cheetah, which was home of SIR Studios. My first big show was James Brown at Madison Square Garden on July 4, 1975. It was The Big Payback Show with Mandrill and Joe Bataan. He paid for all the costs. . I worked with mostly Black artists like Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones, Lou Rawls, Brothers Johnson. I used to work with my partner The Chief Rocker Frankie Crocker doing Barry White shows. Then I started doing shows in Atlanta in 2002.
Who was the first African artist you worked with? 
Manu Dibango, who had that hit “Soul Makossa,” at a club called the Combination, and then we took it to the Apollo Theater.  We did Fela at [Manhattan’s] Felt Forum and also in Philadelphia and Atlanta.
When was that? 
The late ‘70s or early ‘80s. 
He had a big band, right?
Yeah, 20-something pieces.  
How did you do on those shows?
I made money. He sold out, yeah. I never lost anything for Fela.
So there was a strong market for Fela even in the ‘70s? 
There was a market for Afrobeat in the ‘70s. Fela went out with The Rolling Stones, that’s why he got so big. 
Fela, he had his own little nation, (Kalakuta Republic) inside of Nigeria, and was at war with his own government.
Yeah. He had a club called The Shrine. Fred Wesley played there. James [Brown] was there, but he didn’t perform inside the club. He met Fela though and they hung out but he didn’t perform. 

You had front-row seats to history.
I tried to do the best I can. It’s become very corporate and there’s no major Black companies here. They’re all gone. They either died or they got bought out. There’s no Black presenters of any caliber. You got to do what you can. 
The A-Team:
– The A-Team:
“The men that showed me the way,” Martin says. “I am so ever grateful and thankful to Ron Delsener, Al DeMarino and Bruce Licursi. I would not have lasted this long without paying attention and listening to them.”
I read about Al Haymon who rolled up a lot of Black promoters and sold to SFX, which eventually became Live Nation.
Yes, he did. He made the right move. He got out and got lucky with the fights and Mayweather.
Did he try to roll you up?
No. He never came to me. And that’s OK.
Who are some of the other African artists who came after you did Fela?
I’ve done Youssou N’Dour, Baaba Maal, Cheikh Lo, Seun Kuti [Fela’s son], among many others.
How do you market them?
I can’t give you that secret, but I market to their culture and sell it out.  

A lot of these artists will play performing arts centers, more than clubs or theaters, right? 
I’m doing clubs and theaters. When I do a theater, I got to package it with three or four other acts. I can do Sony Hall in New York. I did B.B. King’s in Times Squaare with James Brown. I was there when it opened with B.B. King’s manager and agent in the house. We had been friends for decades. B.B.’s King’s lady was my cashier at the Apollo in the late 70s when I use to promote shows at the Apollo Theater. I got a call about bringing James Brown to B.B. King’s club because they were having difficulty so I was able to deliver James Brown to the club.  We developed a nice relationship and I was able to bring some additional shows to B.B. King’s, including two-time Grammy Award winners bluesman Bobby Rush, he was a regular and he and Buddy Guy together closed B.B. King’s during its last week.
I did shows at B.B. King’s for 18 years. I’d do an 8 o’clock show and a late-night reggae show. I won’t do an 8 o’clock show unless it’s Carnegie Hall and it’s the headline. Youssou N’Dour, Baaba Maal, Angélique Kidjo, they sell out 8 p.m. at Carnegie Hall. Carnegie Hall does African themed artists as in house production and always does well the last was the March 2020 closing with a sold out African themed artists show canceled due to COVID with Angélique Kidjo and Manu Dbanjo and Afrobeats artists Yemi Alade
How is working at Carnegie Hall? 
They do great with African artists. They got a good show coming in February called Afro-futurism. It’s their show. I’m looking forward to it. 
Are you working with agents, too? 
I work with agents, most of them are overseas. But these agents are fickle. I just stay in my lane, man. Do what I got to do. I’m doing also doing Cuban bands.
What else are you working on? 
I’ve been trying to put together an agency that represents African artists, whether it’s a tour from Africa or a European country, where they also live.

What are the challenges of bringing artists here in terms of visas? 
It was easier in the past. 
Do you think the pandemic will make it harder?
We don’t know yet. The countries aren’t open yet. I got four or five major acts in South Africa, but I can’t make them move until next year, maybe.  
Is it harder for North Africa acts to come for political reasons?
I don’t have many North African acts. I don’t have many from Sudan. The Saharan All-Stars, but they stay in the Sahara. There’s a festival there a lot of people go to. There’s not that many I work with from Sudan, 
Somalia or Morocco that tour a lot. 
Seun Kuti & Egypt 80
 – Seun Kuti & Egypt 80

Who was the last major African artist you brought over?

Seun Kuti, before the pandemic.
How do you discover African music?
I pay attention. We have this thing called the African Vine. So I get all this stuff from the Vine. I got people in Nigeria, four or five, that keep me informed of what’s happening and who’s doing what. I have a huge African network.
Do you ever go to those global conferences like WOMEX or globalFEST in New York during the APAP conference?
Yes, Peter Gabriel, he’s a nice guy. And I’m a member of APAP. Sometimes I discover acts there. 
Which other artists are you working with? 
I have a lot of female artists, Tiwa Savage, Yemi Alade are two of the top female artists of Afrobeats side. And then you have the South African Beyoncé, her name is Lira. She’s awesome. Wizkid is coming in September and Burna Boy is coming in. I’ll pick him up and put them on dates.