Kentucky-born Ray Sanders (1935-2019) was a fella who had a couple of Top 20 hits over the years and was in Ray Price's band for a while. After cycling through a few major-label deals, he gradually dropped off the radar in the '70s, reemerging as an indie artist a couple of decades later. Here's a quick look at his work...
Ray Sanders "Feeling Good Is Easy" (Imperial Records, 1969) (LP)
(Produced by Scott Turner)
Although Sanders had been playing professionally since he late '50s and had a couple of modest hits in the early '60s, this was his first full-length album... It's is a surprisingly robust, pleasantly twangy album, with a lot of loping Texas shuffle-style honkytonk and a great song selection. The album title comes from Kris Kristofferson's "Me And Bobby McGee," one of several choice songs on here. Also noteworthy are a couple of early Red Steagall compositions, and a couple written by Sanders himself, including the excellent "Gotta Find A Way," and I also like producer Scott Turner's island-themed novelty song, "Waikiki Sand." The single, Steagall's "Beer Drinkin' Music," narrowly missed the Top 20, but that was enough to keep Sanders in the game for a few years... I'm looking forward to tracking down some of his other stuff and see how things went from here.
Ray Sanders "Judy" (United Artists, 1970) (LP)
Ray Sanders "A Rose By Any Other Name" (United Artists, 1972) (LP)
Ray Sanders "I Don't Want To Be Alone Tonight" (Republic Records, 1977) (LP)
Ray Sanders "Love Position" (Self-released, 2002)
Ray Sanders "Country Hits, Vol. 1" (Self-released, 2003)
Ray Sanders "...And Friends" (Self-released, 2003)
Ray Sanders "Living On The Edge" (Self-released, 2005)
Ray Sanders "Ray Sanders Country" (Hillside Records, 2007)
Ray Sanders "...Sings Texas Dance Hall Music" (Hillside Records, 2008)
Ray Sanders "Funny How Time Slips Away" (Hillside Records, 2010)
Ray Sanders "Thru The Years" (Hillside Records, 2011)
