"I started playing guitar when I was ten years old, I was the biggest Kiss freak in the world. I just had to get a guitar so I could be Ace!", says Barry Sparks of his start in music. Playing bass kicked in soon after, because he didn't want my brother Kevin to be a "Rock Star" without him! Geddy Lee and Chris Squire were now his new heroes. In 1989, Barry moved from Tucson to Los Angeles. The whole "L.A." scene was just kinda dying out, but he managed to hook up with Yngwie Malmsteen in 1994 and tour for his album "The Seventh Sign". The following year fans would see him playing bass on "Magnum Opus" with Yngwie and hit the road again. "Those were great times for me! I was finally doing what I always wanted to do! Riding on a tour bus and playing Rock and Roll.", he explains. In early '96, he joined The Michael Schenker Group. Michael was Barry's favorite guitarist as a kid and remembers trying not to look too "excited" at those first few rehearsals, but remembers failing miserably. He had rock n roll smile-itis. "I had a goofy grin on my face the whole time. We recorded a great underrated album called "Written In The Sand", an album I am really proud of." he admits. They enjoyed great tours together which can be witnessed on the two live albums they recorded. Around 1998 he played with pop singer Billie Myers, where he experienced T.V and radio station apearances by the boatload and played worldwide, including very memorable shows supporting Bob Dylan in Europe. From 1999 til 2001, he was back with The Michael Schenker Group and contributed to the occasional album or tour with ex-Scorpions guitarist, Uli Jon Roth. He was finally back together and playing with his longtime rhythm brother, Shane Gaalaas. In 2001 he joined Dokken, has toured with a huge list of veteran rockers, including Whitesnake, The Scorpions, which he considers a definite highlight and most recently Ted Nugent, The Motor City Madman, after which he hit the road to tour with Japanese sensation The B'z in America and Japan. Currently you can hear Barry on a couple of track on the new Scorpions, "Unbreakable" and Dokken's "Hell to Pay". "It's amazing to make a living playing Rock N Roll! I feel very fortunate in being afforded the opportunity to make albums and tour all over the world with some of my favorite musicians.", he admits.