John Baker Saunders | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Born |
Montgomery, Alabama |
September 23, 1954
Died | January 15, 1999 Seattle, Washington |
(aged 44)
Genres | Alternative rock, grunge, blues |
Occupation(s) | Musician, bassist |
Instruments | Bass guitar, Upright bass |
Associated acts | Mad Season, The Walkabouts, Lamont Cranston Band |
John Baker Saunders, Jr. (September 23, 1954 – January 15, 1999) was a founding member and bassist for the American grunge rock supergroup Mad Season, as well as a member of The Walkabouts.
He was born on September 23, 1954 in Montgomery, Alabama to John Baker Saunders, Sr. and Charleen I. Greer. He attended North Shore Country Day School, Rye Country Day School, Fay School, New Trier High School (East), Cabrillo College and Providence College.
Saunders began his career as a blues bassist, working with traditional blues artists in Chicago, such as Hubert Sumlin and Sammy Fender. He recorded and toured Europe with the Seattle-based band, The Walkabouts. Saunders also worked with Lamont Cranston, in Minneapolis.
In 1994, Saunders went into a Minneapolis drug rehabilitation facility, where he met Pearl Jam's Mike McCready. After completing treatment, Saunders and McCready returned to Seattle and formed a band called The Gacy Bunch, with vocalist Layne Staley of Alice in Chains and drummer Barrett Martin. They soon changed the band's name to Mad Season. Mad Season's acclaimed album, Above, released in 1995, was awarded a gold record for sales in the United States. It was the only album that Mad Season would record.