The Sparkletones formed in 1956 at Cowpens High School in Spartanburg when the group's members were between the ages of 13 and 16. Band members Joe Bennett (born Joseph H. Bennett, February 21, 1940 – June 27, 2015) and Jimmy Denton co-wrote "Black Slacks". Released as a single soon after, "Black Slacks" became a local hit and slowly built up national recognition as the group set out on a tour that crisscrossed the U.S. several times over, also performing on
The Nat King Cole Show,
American Bandstand, and
The Ed Sullivan Show. "Black Slacks" remained on the U.S. charts for over four months, peaking at No. 17 on the
Billboard Top 100 in late 1957. The Sparkletones' next single, "Penny Loafers and Bobby Socks", reached No. 42 on the
Billboard pop chart early in 1958, Howard "Sparky" Childress (born on April 21, 1943, in Spartanburg) died in
Chesnee, South Carolina, on November 30, 2019, at age 76. ==Members==