Tony Saunders (bassist)

Tony Saunders (born November 10, 1955) is an American bass and synthesizer player known for producing jazz, gospel, R&B, and pop music. He is also a composer, arranger, record producer, and founder of the Studio 1281 recording studio.

Early life and education

Saunders was born in San Francisco, California, in 1955. 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, receiving his first bass from Tom Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Growing up, Saunders was influenced by musicians such as Eddie Moore, Jimmy Smith, Stanley Turrentine, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Sonny Rollins, Dewey Redman, George Duke, Al Jarreau, Bola Sete, and John Handy.

Saunders is a graduate of San Francisco Conservatory of Music, an institute of Music, and was awarded a fellowship in piano.

Saunders has two Emmy Awards; he earned his first Emmy at age fourteen, while collaborating with his father on the PBS documentary Soul Is. 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. Saunders earned his second Emmy for an episode of Digital Journey titled "China: The Digital Economy".

Career

Saunders’s career began by playing with his father 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.

Saunders has made appearances in films, corporate videos, TV shows, and commercials. He also produced numerous CDs–primarily at his studio, Studio 1281. 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.

Saunders studied under choir director Leon Patillo. 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).

Artists collaborating with him on projects have included Nils, Jeff Lorber, Paul Brown, Gail Johnson, Jeff Ryan, Marion Meadows, Mavis Staples, John Lee Hooker, and Austin "Auggie" Brown, the nephew of Michael Jackson. (Auggie's project was later sold to Midas Records). Saunders was hired as a staff producer for San Francisco Records. He had previously worked for the label's president, Ron Umile, when he was at Associated Booking in New York. Umile hired Saunders to work with Martha Reeves and Randy Crawford, among others. Saunders's first solo album, Bigger than Outside, was released in October 2011.

Saunders's 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."

Saunders's 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.

His fourth album, Sexy Somethin, was released on February 21, 2020, on San Francisco Records, featuring Jeff Lorber, Marion Meadows, Paul Brown, Nils, Gail Johnson, Jeff Ryan, Ray Chew, and Paul Jackson Jr.