Biography
I.Memphis blues veteran Sanders has been a mainstay of the local scene for decades, as a member of the Binghampton Blues Boys in the 1960s and of the raw blues combo the Fieldstones in the 1980s. In the late 1990s, his legacy was celebrated in unusual detail by the Memphis Shangri-La organization (which runs one of the best record stores in town), which produced a film, soundtrack, and small book about his life. He is most known, however, for playing on the sole rare single by the Binghampton Boys. This contains the original version of "Cross Cut Saw," taken to a much wider audience via a cover by Albert King and, later, Eric Clapton.
II.Memphis bluesman Will Roy Sanders, whose life story and band the Fieldstones were chronicled in the documentary Will Roy Sanders: The Last Living Bluesman, passed away from complications of lung cancer in Memphis, Tennessee, from February 16th, 2010.
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Sanders is best known for 1st recording the song “Crosscut Saw” in the early 1960s with his band the Binghampton Blues Boys. The song was later made famous by Albert King, Eric Clapton, & any other blues guitar player who ever played in a bar band.
Sanders spent the 1970s, 1980s, & early 1990s playing with one of the toughest blues bands in the world—the inimitable Fieldstones, who played every fish fry, bbq, juke joint, & wedding in Memphis for almost 25 years. In the early ‘90s Sanders and his wife took over the legendary Green’s Lounge, the last great juke joint in Memphis and ran it until it burned down in 1997, acting as the house band every Friday and Saturday night. Green’s Lounge was the place for any blues fan or musician to visit in Memphis in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s to hear raw and excellent live blues music. Blues aficionados and musicians came to Green’s Lounge from all over the world to enjoy the good times blues of Will Roy Sanders and the Fieldstones.
Sanders is survived by his wife, Dorothy, his 18 children, & his 42 grandchildren. He will be buried at the West Tennessee Veterans Cemetery at 4000 Forest Hill-Irene in Memphis, Tennessee.
Discography:
10 More Years Various Artists “Green’s Lounge Shuffle” (Shangri-la Projects)
Will Roy Sanders The Last Living Blues Man Soundtrack cd (Shangri-la Projects)
Fieldstones Memphis Blues Today (High Water)
Fieldstones Mud Island Blues (High Water)
For More Information, Contact Shangri-la Projects:
http://www.shangrilaprojects.com
(901)359-3102
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.