Tony Saunders (bassist)

Tony Saunders is an American bass player and synthesizer player in the genres of jazz, gospel, R&B, Pop and world music. He is a composer, arranger, music producer, and head of his own studio, Studio 1281.

Saunders comes from a musical family. His world famous keyboardist father, Merl Saunders, got him started at an early age. He began singing at the age of five, and played piano from age eight. Herbie Hancock and Sly Stone were among Saunders’ early teachers, and Sly gave Saunders an organ at the age of ten. At age fourteen he began playing the bass.

In 1969, Tony's Dad, Merl Saunders, was the Musical Director for the Joseph Dolan Tuotti musical Big Time Buck White (which featured Muhammad Ali and Donald Sutherland among others), with music and lyrics by Oscar Brown Jr.. During that time, Tony was the lead singer for The Man Child Singers. The Man Child Singers performed and recorded the songs Right On and Mighty Whitey from that play on a 45 produced by his father's label Summertone Records. This single was included in the compilation CD Home Schooled: The ABCs Of Kid Soul in 2007. The Manchild Singers also recorded a San Francisco Giants jingle.

Tony received one of his first piano lessons from Herbie Hancock, and was awarded a fellowship at the prestigious San Francisco Conservatory of Music for piano. His first Fender bass guitar was a gift from Tom Fogerty, brother of John Fogerty and rhythm guitarist for Creedence Clearwater Revival. He graduated from the Conservatory of Music in San Francisco. He received an Emmy at 14 years old with his father for the children's special Soul Is, a PBS documentary featuring Black poetry accompanied by Tony on the bass.

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