Master of Sparks
| "Master of Sparks" | |
|---|---|
| Song by ZZ Top | |
| from the album Tres Hombres | |
| Released | July 26, 1973 |
| Recorded | Brian Studios & Ardent Studios Memphis, Tennessee |
| Genre | Hard rock |
| Length | 3:33 |
| Label | London |
| Songwriter | Billy Gibbons |
| Producer | Bill Ham |
"Master of Sparks" is a song by American rock band ZZ Top from their 1973 album Tres Hombres.[1][2]
Background
The song tells the true story[3] of Billy Gibbons and his friend R.K. Bullock who with a workman, welded together a steel ball cage with a seat and seatbelt fitted inside. They placed the cage into the bed of a truck and at night, after reaching a speed of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h), on Highway 6 near Houston, rolled the cage out the back with the hapless narrator and friend taking a ride inside. The cage generated a tail of sparks on the road but in its crushed condition stopped rolling. Still moving at high speed, the now egg shaped cage crashed into a fence. Both occupants survived relatively unscathed and were awarded the title "Master of Sparks" by the cheering crowd.[4][5]
Personnel
References
- ^ McKittrick, Christopher (4 June 2024). Gimme All Your Lovin’: The Blues, Boogie, and Beard of ZZ Top's Billy F. Gibbons. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 79. ISBN 979-8-216-34244-1.
- ^ Watman, Max (16 February 2010). Chasing the White Dog: An Amateur Outlaw's Adventures in Moonshine. Simon and Schuster. p. 142. ISBN 978-1-4391-7024-3.
- ^ Michael Hann (8 November 2012). "Old music: ZZ Top – Master of Sparks". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
- ^ Dansby, Andrew (31 July 2013). "40 years after its release, the allure of 'Tres Hombres' lives on". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
- ^ Daniels, Neil (1 January 2014). Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers: A ZZ Top Guide. Soundcheck Books. p. 24. ISBN 978-0-9571442-7-9.