Born in 1973 in Corsicana, Texas, Bobby Sparks grew up with parents who were teachers and musicians. His mother, a church organist, started him on the piano at age three, and encouraged his love of hymns and gospel music. After high school, he further honed his skills studying music at Eastfield College in Mesquite near Dallas. It was during this period that he met and joined Kirk Franklin’s gospel group. With Franklin he earned a bevy of accolades, including numerous Grammy Awards. He was a key member of trumpeter the late Roy Hargrove’s funk-jazz outfit RH Factor. Over the years, Sparks also branched out into radio and television, supplying the music for shows like Top Model and movies like The Prince of Egypt. Away from performing, he has also served as organist for Pathway of Life Church. Since 2016, he has been a regular member of the acclaimed jam band Snarky Puppy, appearing on 2016’s Grammy-winning Culcha Vulcha, and 2019’s Immigrance. Also in 2019, Sparks released his first album as a leader, Schizophrenia: The Yang Project, which featured contributions by Hargrove, Marcus Miller, Snarky Puppy’s Michael League, and others.