Tony Saunders (bassist)

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Tony Saunders is a US bass player.

Tony comes from a musical family. His world famous keyboardist dad Merl Saunders got Tony started at an early age. He sang as early as five and played piano from age 8. Herbie Hancock and Sly Stone were some of Tony’s early teachers and Sly gave Tony an organ at age 10. Tony eventually graduated from the Conservatory of Music in San Francisco. At age 14 he also started playing the bass. He received an Emmy with his dad for the children’s special “Soul Is”, a PBS documentary that featured his bass along with Black poetry.

At age 18 he started playing with his dad and Jerry Garcia. Tony learned a lot from the people who taught him bass. Legendary bassist Chuck Rainey, Jack Cassidy and John Kahn all took interest in Tony’s ability. John Kahn turned Tony on to James Jamerson and Tony modeled his playing around all of his teachers. He also loves Stanley Clarke, Alphonso Johnson, Rufus Reid and Ralphe Armstrong and current favorite Marcus Miller. All of these players have influenced Tony’s style. Tony loves that he can play any style of music and has played on albums that back that up.

Tony has scored movies, produced CDs, scored countless corporate videos, TV shows and commercials, and won 2 emmys for his music. He has continued to produce projects out of his studio. In the last year he has Produced projects that have included Mavis Staples, John Lee Hooker and Auggie Brown the nephew of Michael Jackson. Auggie's project was sold to Midas records and will be out very soon.

Tony has been influenced by Gospel music since a young child, He learned a lot from his choir director Leon Patillo. Tony met the Hawkins family when he was 14 and credits them with not only inspiring him to play bass but with giving spiritual guidance to his life. He played with Walter, Ed and Tramaine and the Love Center choir in the 80's and has continued his love for Gospel with the release of his first gospel project "He Lifted Me Up". While playing with the Hawkins he also got to play with gospel greats Andrae Crouch, The Clarke Sisters, The late Rev James Moore, Daryl Coley, James Cleveland and the Williams Brothers just to name a few.

Tony has produced a lot of gospel music over the years and he is very proud of his new CD. It features singing greats Derrick Hughes and Alfreda Lyons-Campbell as well as Tony longtime friend and gospel's greatest bassist/ drummer extroidinare Joel Smith, Walter and Ed's Nephew. Tony says we have played together so long that the feeling that happens between us is magic sent from above.