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DAVID SANBORN
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ST. LOUIS STYLE
By Christine Imbs
“If I wasn’t a musician, I’d probably be hot-wiring cars.”
A tongue-in-cheek answer to be sure, but a seemingly typical one for saxophonist David Sanborn. “There was no backup plan. This is just what I wanted to do.”
If you’ve ever heard him play, you know a backup plan wasn’t necessary. Sanborn is a multiple-Grammy Award winner, a sought-after session contributor, and an internationally-known solo artist who has sold over seven million albums worldwide.
“I grew up in St. Louis, and the music scene here was pretty out there at that time, especially with Gaslight Square,” he says. “It had a big influence on me.”
Of course you might say the biggest influence in his life came when he first picked up the saxophone. Sanborn suffered from polio at a young age, spending some time in an iron lung. It was suggested he take up a wind instrument to help with his breathing. His choice of the saxophone seemed inevitable.
“A lot of the early rock and roll records played on the radio at the time had saxophone solos,” he explains. “And St. Louis had a lot of great saxophone players. So I guess I just connected to it.”
He also connected with some legendary blues players like Albert King and Little Milton Campbell, who gave him his first real playing experience. It was at a community recreation center called Sunset Teen Town. During the summer it was a place to hear live music and dance. This was 1960 and Sanborn was 15 years old.
“My friend was much more aggressive than I and knew Little Milton’s piano player,” Sanborn says. “He asked if we could sit in. Little Milton was very gracious. He knew it would give us a thrill. I had nothing to lose, so I got up on stage. I met Albert King the same way.”
With this experience under his belt, Sanborn soon found himself playing at a club on Gaslight Square called The Other Side. He often hung out there listening to a trio. One day he asked if he could sit in. “I don’t know what possessed me, because it was very unlike me to do that,” he comments. “They just rolled their eyes.”
Fortunately, Sanborn had memorized a saxophone solo played by Sonny Stitt on a song called ‘Cool Blues.’ To their surprise, the boy was good.
“I remember their jaws dropped. They kept inviting me back and I started to develop some real playing experience as a result,” Sanborn says. “I didn’t get paid, but I formed a lot of friendships.”
At 18, Sanborn left St. Louis for college to study music. Sometime afterward he joined the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and recorded with them. It was also with Butterfield that he played Woodstock. “It was probably the largest group I’ve every played for,” he comments. “There were half-a-million people. It was amazing.”
Since that time, Sanborn has gone on to perform and record with a diverse group of musicians including Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, Eric Clapton, and David Bowie. He says choosing a favorite is impossible. “I have a great deal of respect for them all. So many were instrumental in my musical development and exposure,” he says. “I couldn’t pick just one.”
For all his accomplishments, Sanborn was recently honored with a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame. “This means a lot to me,” he says. “I learned a lot growing up in St. Louis. I still can’t believe (my success) happened.”
TALKING POINTS
BORN: Tampa, Fla., July 30, 1945.
RAISED: St. Louis
FAMILY: Grown son, Jonathan.
EDUCATION: Northwestern University and University of Iowa.
FIRST SOLO ALBUM: "Taking Off" (1975)
FAVORITE PLACE TO PLAY: California, Japan, Paris, and anywhere tropical.
MUSICIAN HE ADMIRES: Ray Charles.
HOBBIES: "No time. Music is an all-consuming thing with me."
FAVORITE PLACE IN ST. LOUIS: Growing up, Gaslight Square; currently, his mother's home in Chesterfield.
Christine Imbs is a St. Louis-based freelance writer.
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