Biography
George Alan Sparhawk (goes by Alan) was born in Seattle, Washington and grew up in Utah. He met Mimi Parker when he was 9, after his family moved to Minnesota. Sparhawk began writing his own compositions around the age of 13. He later married Parker, and eventually began performing with her in the band Low, releasing their first album in 1994. As of 2011, Low has released nine full-length studio albums.
Alan and Mimi are members of the Mormon faith, about which Sparhawk has said, "our spiritual beliefs encompass our whole life and understanding of who we are and what we do."
Sparhawk is also a member of the blues-roots band Black Eyed Snakes, the blues-dub jam band Los Besos, and the rock band Retribution Gospel Choir. He also occasionally plays solo shows in his hometown.
As a solo artist, Sparhawk released his debut album entitled Solo Guitar in August, 2006. He also released a track on a various artists compilation Songs for the End of the World as Hollis M. Sparhawk & Her Father, and the track Be Nice To People With Lice on the various artists compilation album See You on the Moon!. In 2007 he did a Take-Away Show acoustic video session shot by Vincent Moon.
Sparhawk has done charity work with the Maasai tribe in Kenya. After a friend of his became a friend of the village of Namuncha, he played a Christmas show in order to raise funds to build a school there, where students had previously been meeting in the shade outside. He calls the experience of visiting the Maasai one of the most spiritual of his life.
Alan and Mimi live in Duluth, Minnesota, with their two children.
In 2012, Alan Sparhawk, along with with violist and vocalist Gaelynn Lea, created the group The Murder of Crows. Their first album, Imperfecta was released June 2012.
Read more about this topic: Alan Sparhawk
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