Larry Sparks and The Lonesome Ramblers

The Read

Sparks came up young in Ralph Stanley’s Clinch Mountain Boys, and what he took from that lineage was the mournful part — the high lonesome delivered slow, with space around it. His guitar playing is equally distinctive: bluesy, understated, a lead instrument used sparingly. The Lonesome Ramblers have been the vehicle for decades of gospel numbers and hard-luck ballads. A six o’clock start at the Franklin Theatre means a seated, early evening in a restored room with real sound — a considerable upgrade over the folding chairs this music usually gets. The crowd will be knowledgeable and will applaud solos. This is traditional bluegrass played by someone who was there when the tradition was still being argued about.

The Room

The Franklin Theatre

419 Main St, Franklin TN

A restored 1937 Main Street theater that still anchors Franklin's downtown on nights when the right artist plays it.