Sparkle Moore (born Barbara Morgan on November 6, 1936) is an American rockabilly
singer who was influential as a pioneer of female rockabilly. Her name comes from a character in
the Dick Tracy comics, Sparkle Plenty. Sparkle dressed in men's clothing, often including leather, and sported a pompadour.
She just released two singles, “Rock-A-Bop/Skull and Crossbones” in 1956 and “Killer / Tiger” in 1957, both on Fraternity Record. At a time when female singers only wore dresses, Sparkle sported men’s slacks and suit jackets. In a 1986 interview with the magazine Kicks, Sparkle remembered how she used to freak people out with her masculine stage wear.
“People would see me when I went to play somewhere, and they’d say,
‘Can’t you wear something more sexy, like a gown?’” Moore said. “And I
never would. I always wore a playing suit, and I’d say, ‘This is as sexy
as I get.”
Although Moore's career lasted less than two years, she managed to tour with Gene Vincent, mingle with Sammy Davis Jr., who compared her to James
Dean, and get booked at the Grand Ole Opry, a gig she had to cancel due
to illness.
