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Biography
Poet, writer, actor, director, guitarist and Native Detroiter, Stephen "Sparrow" O'Neal, has accumulating a fiercely loyal and admiring following on Detroit's poetry scene and beyond. A fixture since the Café Mahogany days, he is widely known for his ability to make any venue "The Spot" with his edgy style, soulful grooves and compelling brand of urban spirituality. Sparrow, recently placing first in a spoken word contest at New York's famed Nuyorican Cafe, has presided over the hottest standing room only poetry shows and jams, including the Magnolia Key Club and Artist Village. Loyal followers are a trademark.Spoken word artists, musicians and adoring fans alike gravitate en masse wherever he appears. Many can recite his one man shows; Love Is, Evolution of Love, Hear my Cry, and It's Time to Get Serious by heart. Spoken Word caught his soul when he heard the Last Poets at age fifteen. Performance opportunities at Fisk University foreshadowed a lifetime of activism and expression centered on messages of self-awareness, self-determination and self-love. He has written, directed and produced a documentary, Images, featuring childhood inspirations, Abiodun Oyewole of the Last Poets. In 2002, Sparrow was selected as Detroit's host for the touring Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam, where he also placed as a finalist. His work with a variety of established and rising musical personalities, including Dee Dee McNeil and Maurice Brown and his interactive style set him apart.A native Detroiter, singer/song writer and Spoken Word artist, Sparrow, was born Stephen Edward O'Neal. He went by the nickname, "Quick" in his Fisk University days. It represented his razor sharp wit and the speed at which his skill transformed thought into art. While experiencing a succession of hardships, he recalled his grandmother's favorite hymn, His Eye is On the Sparrow. Says O'Neal, "I was of small physical stature and felt overlooked and set aside." The lyrics reminded him that there is nothing trivial in creation. That realization was a milestone and turning point that prompted his leadership in revitalizing Detroit's poetry scene.Asked about his influences he responds, "When I was about fifteen or sixteen, I got a hold of the recordings by the Last Poets and the combined power of music and spoken word lit a fire in me. As I went on to Fisk University I further developed my own concepts. My ideas about presentation were being honed with involvement in theater and other performance arts. Seeing art reach into people's daily lives and affect them made me realize it was my purpose."Sparrow's enduring appeal is the product of several factors. Says, O'Neal, "Core human issues don't change, but the topical relevance does. People perpetually search for meaning, identity and a voice they can claim as their own. They want to hear it expressed in terms that mean something today. It's about more than entertainment, although they are obviously entertained. It's about reaching in and finding that pulse... that nerve and giving them something they can feel." The ability to sense and feed the audience produces an experience that is otherwise unattainable. Fresh music, audience interaction and social relevance marry artistic credibility and charisma.Currently available self-produced recordings include Musions and Urban City Slavelands and DVD intitled " The Evolution Loveother Links www.myspace.com/stephensparrow and www.sonicbids.com/sparrowonealYou can catch Sparrow as the host of " CREATIVE JUICES" at the ARTIST VILLAGE. It's an open Mic Jam session featuring the best SINGERS, POET, Artist, and Muscians in the World. It's Every Saturday starting from 9pm until we get done. It's located at 17340 Lahser and Grandriver in Detroit, MI. U can check me out and the best artist in the world.
