James Sparks came to UT as associate band director in 1993 from Grissom High School in Huntsville, Alabama, where he served as director of bands. He was an elected member of the American Bandmasters’ Association (the youngest person ever elected) and an officer of the National Band Association. Upon the retirement of WJ Julian, Music Department head, Dr. Kenneth Keeling appointed a 16-member search committee representing the university, alumni, and the community. The search committee recommended that James Sparks be named director of bands.
An internal audit began in January 1996 related to complaints about Sparks’s actions involving fees charged to students playing in a band organized by Sparks for the Oilers-Redskins exhibition football game in summer 1995 and transmitted by the Greater Knoxville Sports Corporation. The Greater Knoxville Sports Corporation contracted with Sparks’s company, College Band Entertainment, to provide a marching band for game activities. Provisions were made for the expenses of the high school students who formed the band, but Sparks charged the 303 students an additional $30 each for expenses. The audit reported $53,996.05 unaccounted for and an unauthorized bank account. The specific areas of mishandled funds were the following: names added to meal rosters, $19,000; funds withheld from meal per diems—$20,211.60; false mileage reports related to the 1996 Citrus Bowl trip—$541.84; personal travel expenses—$1,084; funds withheld from tape sales—$5,075; funds returned by a photographer (but not to a UT account)—$750; telephone calls—$267.02; university resources used for College Band Entertainment (Sparks’s company)—$2,330.86; and Greater Knoxville Sports Corporation per diems—$4,645.73. In addition, he sold (for $2,000 in 1993) a Kimball grand piano, given to the UT Music Department in 1987 by then-Governor Lamar Alexander, valued at $15,000.
Sparks agreed to repay UT the band funds not accounted for and resigned as director of bands and as a tenured faculty member in the School of Music in March 1996 in lieu of being terminated. In September 1996 Sparks received a sentence of three years’ probation and required restitution of $55,000 to UT from Criminal Court Judge Ray Lee Jenkins on charges brought by the Knox County District Attorney General.