Meredosia native celebrates musical success
by Eric A Thomas
Mix talent, hard work and determination together, and you just might get success. One former Meredosia guy chased his dream and made it a reality.
Growing up in Meredosia as the son of a Baptist preacher, Paul Sanders used his musical talents often at church. His dream of using his God-given talent often took him beyond the borders of his local town and even the borders of this country. Moving to Nashville, Sanders — like other musicians — paid his dues for nine years and partook in many great opportunities. He has played with other artists such as Max Keenon, Matt Mason, Trent Tomlinson, Love & Theft, Vertical Horizon, Cole Swindell and Brandon Lay.
His biggest break came in December 2014.
One of the greatest groups in the present-day country music genre was looking for a new bass player and singer to join them. Sanders knew this was his chance to audition and was excited to be given the opportunity to join Shenandoah. The group of six dedicated musicians, led by Marty Raybon and Mike McGuire, began in 1984 and have gone through different transformations with various players. Lucky for Sanders, his dream from his youth brought him to this point.
Over the years Shenandoah has created a number of hits such as, “Church on the Cumberland Road,” “Next to You, Next to Me,” and probably their most requested song, “Two Dozen Roses.” Shenandoah teamed up with Allison Kraus to produce the Grammy award-winning song “Somewhere in the Vicinity of the Heart.” Their “Cumberland” hit made history as it became the first time a country band’s number one hit stayed at the summit of the charts for over one week. That particular album was the group’s first gold record. They have recorded a total of nine albums and have placed a total of 26 singles on the Billboard’s Hot Country chart.
Currently they perform between 85-100 shows per year from coast-to-coast, and some international dates. “The Grand Ole Opry at the Ryman Auditorium has probably been my most favorite musical experience to date. It has been exciting to learn a great deal from my colleagues in the band,” remarks Sanders.
In addition to being an active member of Shenandoah, he continues to do studio work, saying, “I have played on a lot of demo sessions and custom records. It’s exciting to also be involved with Shenandoah’s most recent studio recordings.”
The group became known for delivering songs that celebrated faith and family while reveling in the joys of small-town living. “I played in church and had the dream of doing more with my talents,” says Sanders.
He adds, “I am extremely grateful that God has allowed my dreams to become reality.”
To close, he wanted to give his best advice to aspiring musicians: “The music business is not for thin-skinned people. The feeling of defeat and rejection is the hardest thing to deal with. Make sure your craft is on a professional level for you uproot to pursue a career in music. Always stay humble.” As Sanders works as an established entertainer in the music capital of the world, he hopes someday to get into producing records.
