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Saunders was born in San Francisco, California, in 1955.[3] Encouraged by his father, keyboardist Merl Saunders, he began singing at age five and later took piano lessons from musicians such as Herbie Hancock and Sly Stone. Saunders started playing bass at age fourteen,[4] receiving his first bass from Tom Fogerty of the Creedence Clearwater Revival.[5][6][7]
Saunders earned the first of his two Emmy Awards at age fourteen, while collaborating with his father, Merl on the PBS documentary Soul Is.[12][13] By the age of eighteen, he was performing with his father and Jerry Garcia, lead guitarist and co-founder of the rock band the Grateful Dead, at various shows.[14] Saunders earned his second Emmy for an episode of Digital Journey titled "China: The Digital Economy".[15]
Career
Saunders career began by playing with his father, Merl, and Jerry Garcia, becoming a featured musician in Merl Saunders & Aunt Monk when he was eighteen years old. Later, Saunders played in the original Rainforest Band and recorded all of his father's projects. Bassists Chuck Rainey, Jack Casady, and John Kahn were contemporaries of Saunders during this period. Kahn introduced Saunders to the music of James Jamerson. His other influences include Stanley Clarke, Alphonso Johnson, Rufus Reid, Ralphe Armstrong, and Marcus Miller. Anthony Davis and Lee Miles encouraged Saunders to play bass guitar full-time.[16]
Saunders has made appearances in films, corporate videos, TV shows, and commercials, and produced numerous CDs–primarily at his studio, Studio 1281.[17] He composed the music for the stage play Zetta, which was performed in San Francisco by the American Conservatory Theater. He acted as the musical director for Zetta and Rock Justice, the latter written by Bob Heyman and Marty Balin of Jefferson Starship.[11]
Saunders studied under choir director Leon Patillo. Saunders met the Hawkins family when he was fourteen and has credited them with not only inspiring him to play the bass but also providing him spiritual guidance. He played with Walter Hawkins, Edwin Hawkins, and the Love Center Choir in the 1980s and released He Lifted Me Up, his first gospel project, in 2005. Other gospel artists Saunders has played with include Andrae Crouch, the Clark Sisters, Reverend James Moore, Daryl Coley, James Cleveland, the Williams Brothers, The Mighty Clouds of Joy, and Shirley Caesar. He completed a gospel project featuring Derrick Hughes, Alfreda Lyons-Campbell, and Saunders's long-time friend, gospel bassist and drummer, Joel Smith (nephew of Walter and Edwin Hawkins).[18]
Saunders' second album, Appaloosa, was released on January 22, 2014, featuring Grammy Award-winners Howard Hewett, Bill Champlin, and Tony Lindsay on vocals. Tom Politzer (from Tower of Power) and Rock Hendricks (from Paul Hardcastle's Jazzmasters series) performed saxophone on the CD. Fred Ross and Sakai, who were longtime friends of Saunders and background singers with the rock band Train, sang on the duet "The Question Is".[19]
Saunders' third album for San Francisco Records, Uptown Jazz, featured Gabriel Mark Hasselbach, Rock Hendricks, Sakai, Paul Hardcastle Jr., and Gerald Albright. Saunders's single "Rock Steady" was a cover of The Whispers' 1980s hit and was produced in Atlanta by Magic Mendez. Harmony Blackwell, The Whispers' programmer/background vocalist, and Mendez sang the vocals. Mendez is also credited with layering the audio tracks.[citation needed]
In 2021, Saunders signed to the label Baja/TSR Records and produced a new CD called All About Love.[21]
Awards and honors
Saunders, who co-authored the video "Black Lives Matter" with Nona Brown, won a Telly Award[22] in 2022. In addition to this honor, he has also received two Emmy Awards. Furthermore, Saunders won the New York Film Festival's Grand and Silver Awards for educational compositions.[11]
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