Jack Saunders

Like the bumper sticker says, Jack Saunders wasn't born in Texas, but he got here as quick as he could. The southern California-born Saunders settled in Houston in 1982, when he was playing bass with the dynamic duo of Shake Russell and Dana Cooper. After Cooper's departure for a solo career in 1984, Saunders formed the backbone of Russell's band for the next 14 years. These days, besides producing records for the likes of Susan Gibson and Gordy Quist, Saunders is a noted bassist-for-hire with folks like Ray Wylie Hubbard and the occasional fill-in with people like Randy Weeks, Hayes Carll and his old compadre Russell. But despite his reputation as the consummate sideman, more and more lately Saunders has emerged in public fronting his own ensemble and playing his own material. It's straight-up roots music, covering the gamut from folk to blues, and it is delivered in a voice that is instantly believable, unable to disguise the miles and the lessons of 30 years on the road in the service of songs. Saunders will be playing selections from his new release Living For the Sunshine.