Mark Smythe, better known locally as Gypsy Sparrow, was destined to create music as he grew up immersed in sound in the vibrant heart of New Orleans.

As an only child at the time, Mark often accompanied his mother, a single mom, to the city’s jazz clubs, where her voice captivated audiences and sparked his passion for performing.

 “She always told me how I’d sit in the booth at these jazz clubs, holding her hairbrush, rocking back and forth and singing along with her,” Mark says. “I think I imprinted on what was modeled in front of me.”  

Those memories and others inspire him to this day. When people ask how long he’s been performing, Mark often recalls a picture from when he was 3, happily dancing on the French Quarter streets as musicians played around him. His mom put a hat out and passersby dropped enough change in it for bird seed to feed the pigeons and ice cream for the two of them.  

He’s also written a song about strolling atop a levee, singing ‘American Pie’ with his mom and one based on her lyric: “I love the rain down on the Old French Quarter.”  

“It’s basically the only line I remembered from the hundreds of lyrics and melodies she wrote,” he says.

Today, Mark channels that passion as a DJ, wedding singer, guitar player and songwriter. When he’s not serenading newlyweds, he’s hosting music bingo or performing at various bars across Central Florida, including Lake and Sumter counties. On Tuesday nights, he performs at Marmaduke’s Lodge in Leesburg. 

His songwriting captures both the beauty, sadness and spirituality of life, with lyrics about his childhood, his mother’s enduring influence, the love he has for his children and his wife, Lindsey, whom he calls his best friend. 

 While Mark enjoys performing a wide variety of covers/genres, singing his own music blends real-life stories with emotion, creating a soulful, nostalgic and deeply personal sound.

“With other people’s music, you can only interpret feelings of what the lyrics mean to you without really knowing exactly where they came from,” Mark says, explaining that “the filter’s gone” when he sings songs he’s written. 

“It’s straight from my heart,” he says. “It’s like letting people inside my soul and showing them what every word means to me.” 

This month, Mark will release his debut album, The Purple Blues, named for his late mother’s unrealized dream of forming a band with that name. Mark brings his story full circle on the album—paying tribute to his mother’s vision while forging his own legacy as an artist.

“I feel like this is really what I was built to do,” he says. 

Photos: Matthew Gaulin