Songs Have a Life of Their Own

His new CD, Songs have a life of their own is a tribute to songwriters.
Having worked with some of the greatest, such as Paul Williams, Stevie Wonder, Jimmy Webb, Burt Bacharach and Hal David, Ashford and Simpson, Randy Newman, Alan and Marilyn Bergman, Bill Withers. in this time of division, I felt a special song needed to tell the story of how songs connect us at a heart, and the root soul level that connect the generations, and cross all boundaries. I grew up in Birmingham in the Jim Crow South, met Martin Luther King, during a department store boycott, and saw the power of music to cross bridges, and barriers, for social change, Spiritual awakening, Cultural shifts, and of course the great love songs that are timeless and food for the soul.

During my years at the University of North Texas, I was learning Bach Counterpoint, learning Beethoven Sonatas for a piano exam, transcribing John Coltrane solos for my sax, and for extra cash playing the honky tonks at night singing George Jones, Muddy Waters and Johnny Cash. My late Brother, Chip Sanders, played Ray Charles records constantly, and would show me some of the rudimentary blues licks on piano as a child, and hired me as a 12 year old soul singer, with his Rock and Roll Band, “The Ramblers” Who were recently inducted to the Alabama Rock hall of Fame. My older brother, Steve from Chicago at WGN, also a great musician, and 7 time emmy winning Broadcast journalist, taught me the guitar and bass, at an early age. Being one of 4 siblings, were lots of experimentation of 3 part harmony, in the house.
My mother loved Broadway shows, sang alto in the Church Choir, and the family hi-fi was her place to be every Sunday, with Rogers and Hammerstein, and “My Fair Lady”. Getting one of my songs covered by our Birmingham hometown hero and lead singer of the Temptations, Eddie Kendricks, was a great thrill, and a beginning of pointing me in the right direction of being a songwriter. The song was only an LP cut, but to me it put me over the moon.