“From Robert Johnson up to B.B. King
Blues around the world, a common thing
61 crossin’ 82
Down Indianola, where we sing the blues
Story legends that I heard of
Makes me tremble when I sing about…Mississippi”
Alphonso Sanders,
“Mississippi”
Dr. Alphonso Sanders proclaims his love for his home state in his first CD, “Mississippi Influences” — and the recording is truly a Mississippi project.
Of the more than 20 musicians featured on the recording by the chairman of Mississippi Valley State University’s fine arts department, only one — acoustic bass player John Birdsong — is from outside the state.
The singers include MVSU students, children from the university’s chapter of the Boys and Girls Club, and a mix of new and seasoned performers. Sanders sings and plays saxophone and bamboo flute.
The CD’s title reflects Sanders’ interest in how genres and cultures influence each other. For example, after traveling to China in 2006, he saw a link between that country’s music and the blues, through the progression from the bamboo flute to the harmonica.
“Living here, I’ve got a really good sense of what popular music history is, and it led me to think about things,” he said.
Sanders, 52, graduated from Valley in 1983 and went on to earn a master’s degree from Valdosta State University and a doctorate from the University of Mississippi. He joined Valley’s faculty in 2004 and also is director of the B.B. King Recording Studio, where the CD was recorded from May to December 2008.
Some of the songs were written many years ago. One, “Gotta Get Back to Prayin’,” is based on a concept Sanders first thought about in the 1980s. Another, “Say Thanks,” goes back to 1992. The idea for “Non Stop Country Music” came to him in a restaurant, where he wrote his inspiration on a napkin.
The songs feature a mix of styles including jazz, country, blues and gospel. Sanders said there was no conscious decision to use that eclectic approach; rather, he said, “it was stuff I was interested in.”
He did know he wanted to do something wholesome and uplifting. In “Say Thanks,” a children’s choir expresses appreciation for parents and teachers. The playful “Wanna Cook For Ya,” dedicated to the Viking Cooking School, grew out of some words he improvised once while performing there.
Then there’s “Happy,” an upbeat tune Sanders describes as “about as simple as you can get.” He even whistles on it, paying homage to the theme from one of his favorite TV shows, “The Andy Griffith Show.”
Sanders said he wanted elementary-school-age voices to sing on “Say Thanks” and found good ones at the Boys and Girls Club. After brief auditions, he selected 13 children to sing, and they rehearsed for about 15 minutes before recording.
Sanders said the kids were enthusiastic, although “the studio frightened them at first.” But once they learned that the recording could be redone if someone made a mistake, they more willing to approach the microphone. In fact, he said, it was hard to get some of them away from it.
Musicians featured on the CD include drummers Ben Arnold, Ricky Burkhead and Sam Melton; harmonica player/guitarist Levan Lortkipanidze; guitarist Jessie Robinson; pianist Morris Hubbard; and bassists Larry Williams Jr. and Jerry Jemmott.
Another key player was Jimmie Lee Jr., an MVSU senior from Indianola who not only played piano and sang but co-arranged the songs with Sanders and arranged all the background vocals.
“Without this young man, I don’t think it would be the project we have today,” Sanders said.
Sanders had previously known some of the students involved, but others he knew of only by word of mouth. Because Lee was more familiar with some of them and their talents, he made some key decisions, including who would sing lead.
Lee wants to be a sound engineer, and he has a bright future, Sanders said.
“I really had a lot of confidence in him to know what to do,” he said.
The CD cover, designed by graphic artist DeMario K. Greer, features a photo of Sanders taken at the unveiling of the Money Road marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail. The photo was taken by Marvin Haire, director of the Delta Research and Cultural Institute.
The CD is dedicated to David Lee Durham, a blues guitarist and singer from Indianola who died last year. One song, “Delta Sun,” also is dedicated to him.
Sanders said he received valuable help from many people during the recording of “Mississippi Influences.”
“I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone involved in the project, especially my family,” he said. “They were very supportive.”
The CD is available at Turnrow Book Co. and some other locations, and Sanders is working on adding more. He also has other projects in the works, including trying to publish some songs for use in elementary classrooms.
That fits in with his interest in molding young minds — the idea that “the next great somebody might be sitting right in front of you.” And the student might not yet know he or she is that “next great somebody”; Sanders recalled he didn’t even think about music until 10th grade.
“I just wandered into it about high school and just never looked back,” he said.
And as students learn from him today, he learns from them, too.
“I love getting up and coming to work every day,” he said.
