The City of Tucson, Arizona has named DOKKEN/TED NUGENT bassist BARRY SPARKS as it's Citizen Of The Month for January 2008.

Tucson officials herald Sparks in the following manner: "The Barry Sparks Band offers a unique brand of guitar driven, electric and acoustic style rock 'n' roll played with an unbelievable amount of energy and skill - guaranteed to please a wide variety of audiences! The band's catchy and rhythmic style is played with endless amounts of soul and an intensity seldom seen anymore. Tucson is proud of Barry Sparks."

Barry himself responded: "Hello there, well what can I say? When I was nine years old I wanted to be ACE FREHLEY (from KISS). Ever since then I have worked my fingers to the bone for the love of music. Music is my life, without it I am not sure what I would do? I have been around the biz for quite a few years now and I hope to be rockin' until the folks at the mental institution have to pry the guitar from my old fingers and say 'stop it old man! You are really getting on our nerves!'

I have been very lucky to have been able to tour and record with some of my biggest heroes such as: SCORPIONS, U.F.O, MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, B'Z, ULI JON ROTH to name a few. I currently play bass in the band Dokken and Ted Nugent. I also have my new band, The Barry Sparks Band (I am very proud of my boys, they are real swell fellars). They work real hard and bathe daily as far as I know. Check out www.barrysparks.com for the complete bio and thank you for stopping by.

Some people I really admire are PAUL McCARTNEY, JOHN LENNON, GEORGE HARRISON and RINGO STARR, they had a little group called THE BEATLES. They were pretty good and wrote a couple good songs too! LED ZEPPELIN, RUSH, YES, THE WHO, JOHN ENTWHISTLE was the greatest rock bassist to ever to grace this planet r.i.p."