Stephen Sparrow, Award winning "Poet of the Year", writer, actor, director, guitarist and Native Detroiter, has earned a fiercely loyal 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 placed first in a spoken word contest at New York's Nuyorican Cafe, and has presided over the hottest standing room only poetry shows and jams, including the Magnolia Key Club, Artist Village, and LOLA'S. Devoted followers; Spoken word artists, musicians, vocalists and adoring fans gravitate en masse. 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 inspiration, 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 of many genres and his interactive style set him apart.
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 his thoughts transformed thought into word 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 the milestone 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, I developed my own concepts. My ideas about presentation matured 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 otherwise unattainable. Fresh music, audience interaction and social relevance marry artistic credibility and charisma in Sparrow.
Currently available self-produced recordings include Musions and Urban City Slavelands and DVD intitled " The Evolution Love other Links www.myspace.com/stephensparrow and www.sonicbids.com/sparrowoneal Also, check out his series, Creative Juicez @ the Artist Village (17340 Lahser and GRand River in Detroit). Each week Artists, Singers, Poets, and Muscians are featured. Cover charge is $5 for performing artists S10 for other patrons.
The series is for the Creative people. If u have a talent, a gift, or just trying to network U must check the show out.... This is and will be the best spot in the Nation .. It's all about CREATIONS, A place where creative people come together to share their gifts.. IT'S ALL ABOUT LOVE after all it's the ARTIST VILLAGE