Jack Saunders: A Musician's Musician -

(by Bill Aspinwall for 'Liner Notes', a publication of the Houston Fort Bend Songwriters Association)

Garden Oaks is a calm, tree-canopied neighborhood just outside the north loop in Houston. Modest houses, winding streets, large pines and oaks. Behind one of those modest houses, sits a small guest house, the home of White Cat Studios. It is here that Jack Saunders, one of Houston's finest musicians and songwriters, pilots the sound board and muscles the microphones in a studio that he put together and runs.

Saunders is not only a musician's musician, but he's also a respected recording engineer and producer.

He has recorded a number of well-known musicians from Houston and Austin, fronts his own band and has played with any number of prominent Texas musicians. In the thriving musical scene that produced Townes Van Zandt, Nanci Griffith and Lyle Lovett (among others in Houston), Saunders has been described as one of "Houston's Acoustic Triumvirate," which consisted of Saunders, Shake Russell and Dana Cooper.

A Wide Spectrum

Saunders' own music crosses a wide spectrum of American genres, from blues to country, with many other regional influences evident. One striking aspect is his comfortable, almost casual sound that is underpinned by excellent musicianship and graceful production that seems to be effortless.

Liner Notes had the opportunity to interview Saunders at White Cat Studios, just after New Year's Day, on one of those warm spring days that in Houston happen in January.

Saunders was born in Pasadena, California, a self-described "Navy brat" who grew up in a number of places in the U.S. Much of his childhood was spent in Southern California, soaking up the sounds of the Beach Boys and the Beatles. Jack's first guitar was a 12-string Framus (a guitar made in Germany), which he bought at about age 14, using the pay from his first job. Saunders now plays just about any instrument with strings, although he favors guitars (acoustic, electric, baritone, or whatever), bass (electric and stand-up) and mandolin.

His bass playing started early and he's played bass for a number of bands and performers, including his 14- year stint with Shake Russell and more recently, tours with Susan Gibson (writer of the Dixie Chicks smash hit, "Wide Open Spaces") and Saylor White (whose songs have been recorded by Nanci Griffith and Lyle Lovett).

From Saunders' perspective, a song seems complete when it can be played solo on an acoustic guitar and carry its own weight. He does most of his songwriting on guitar and the music and the lyrics come together almost simultaneously. He does have some pieces of music "just laying around" that he will catalog for future reference, but his "keep" rate for his songs is fairly thin -- out of 50 songs, he may keep 10 or less to use in live performances or for recording projects.  His basic standard for the keepers are the songs that stick -- songs that you enjoy playing over time, that have impact with live audiences and that have what he considers to be effective lyrics.

He has collaborated with some other successful songwriters, including Shake Russell and Susan Gibson and feels that the collaborative process is best when both contributors are pursuing active projects with a solid idea.

Saunders' favorite songwriter is Dylan -- Bob Dylan. Other favorites include Paul McCartney (a "vital artist") and Neil Young (Saunders' favorite Young album is After the Gold Rush, released in the early '70s).

One of Saunders' early mentors was Rick Gordon, once a fixture on the Texas music scene and now a songwriter and ace session guitarist in Nashville (and the proud owner of one Bill Collings' first guitars -- built in Houston). At the time, Saunders was very much into the then-burgeoning bluegrass music scene. Some other strong influences for Saunders include Bruce Cockburn, Richard Thompson, David Lindley and the Beatles' producer, George Martin.

Telling a story

Saunders' songwriting approach favors more storytelling aspects than purely personal experiences. In Saunders' opinion, "If you are going to focus on personal experience, it should have some universal lesson or theme that people can relate to." His take on the songwriting process is that the first early idea of a song is like "tuning into a distant radio station -- you're not quite sure what you're hearing." These first creative seeds may have unknown subconscious origins, but need to be developed with thoughtful effort.