Sparkling Brown Eyes is a 1982 album released by Joe Val and the New England Bluegrass Boys on Rounder Records (0152), recorded at The Mixing Lab in Newton, Massachusetts. Val (mandolin, vocals)—the Boston mandolinist who had been a central figure in the northeastern bluegrass scene since the 1960s—leads a band featuring Dave Dillon (guitar, vocals), Paul Silvius (banjo, vocals), Eric Levenson (bass), and guest fiddler Sonny Miller. The album captures Val near the end of his career; he died from lymphoma in 1985, three years after its release. Val's high, lonesome voice and impeccable mandolin technique had made him the most significant northeastern bluegrass figure of his generation.
Tracklist
- 1 Lonesome Road Blues Source Recording 2:15
- 2 Silver haired daddy of mine 2:42
- 3 Out in the Cold World alt version 3:10
- 4 Going home 1:50
- 5 Ribbon of darkness 2:09
- 6 Yellow rose of Texas 2:20
- 7 Sparkling brown eyes 3:08
- 8 God loves His children 2:17
- 9 T for Texas 2:38
- 10 The angels rejoiced 2:25
- 11 Fair and Tender Ladies alt version 2:54
- 12 Vision of mother 2:44
