For longtime Strokeland fans, John Lee Sanders is well-known as one of the most talented vocalists and musicians around, and as a member of Doc Kupka's Strokeland Superband.

Strokeland fans will soon hear John Lee in an entirely different setting as lead vocalist for Doc Kupka's upcoming release "Doc Goes Hollywood" -- a lush collection of ballads in the Great American Songbook style. John Lee provides vocal arrangements and all the vocals, including all background parts, on this fabulous new release.

Louisiana produces some of the funkiest jazz & blues musicians in the world, and John Lee Sanders is no exception. He comes from a musical family that goes back to the birth of the blues in Memphis, including a cousin who played trombone with WC Handy, and right to the present, with a nephew who managed Taylor Hicks, winner of the 2006 American Idol, the #1 show in America.

An established performer on piano, sax, and vocals, John Lee Sanders is now becoming recognized as a gifted composer. His song "Just One Kiss" is nominated for a 2007 Emmy Award. In 2004, John Lee was nominated for "Blues Song of the Year" at the WC Handy awards for his #9 blues charted hit, "Foreclose on the House of Love." His songs have appeared in numerous TV shows and commercials and have been covered by Eddie Kendricks of the Temptations, Marcia Ball and Sally Kellerman (AKA "Hot Lips" from MASH) and more.

His grandmother played piano in the silent movie theaters of Memphis and lived around the corner from Stax Records, the birthplace of American Soul Music. John spent his childhood in the Mississippi Delta, learning three-part harmony with his older brothers and singing in the church choir. His father worked often in New Orleans and brought John and his brothers to hear the the inventors of Jazz in New Orleans at Preservation Hall.

One day in 1956, all of the sounds of southern roots music, Gospel, Country, and the Blues exploded in one person, when Elvis Presley bought his first home next door to John Lee's aunt and uncle in a Memphis suburb and the path was set.

His family moved to Monroe, Louisiana in 1968 where he learned Cajun, Zydeco, and New Orleans Funk and Gospel. He received a music scholarship from Northeast Louisiana University and learned the saxophone, flute, guitar and bass. He also studied Classical composition and Jazz at North Texas State University in addition to orchestration, big band arranging, film scoring and electronic music. In 1973, he studied in Rome, Italy where he discovered Italian opera and painting. On a side-trip to Vienna, he played the blues on Beethoven's Piano, and gathered some cosmic music dust. It must have worked, because a few days later at the Montreux Jazz Festival, he met Professor Longhair and Dr. John and formed a lifelong passion for New Orleans Piano.

Straight out of school, John moved to Dallas, Texas, packing the clubs and juke joints with funk/blues bands "Buster Brown" and "Uncle Rainbow". He landed a house gig at Mother Blues in Dallas, whose headliners included legends such as Freddie King, David “Fathead” Newman, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Dizzie Gillespie. When Michael Hossack from the Doobie Brothers heard John Lee and Uncle Rainbow, he offered a recording contract and relocated the band to the San Francisco Bay area. The strengths of John's writing and performing led to a deal with Rod Stewart’s Riva Records, and a production contract with mega-producer, Narada Michael Walden.

He became a top West Coast session player and producer on keyboards, saxophone, and horn arrangements, with a host of legendary Blues, Jazz and pop giants including John Lee Hooker, Jimmy Witherspoon, Freddie King, Dr. John, The Meters, Chuck Berry, Jimmy Page, Tower of Power, and Stevie Wonder. On Sunday mornings, he was the Hammond Organist and Vocal soloist at Beebe Memorial church in Oakland, CA one of the largest Black Churches in the Bay Area, performing contemporary and traditional Gospel. He toured extensively during the 90’s with Starship, Roy Rogers & the Delta Rhythm Kings, Paul Williams, Mary Wells, Sam Moore, and as music director with Long John Baldry, holding down the keyboard spot formerly held by Elton John.

In 1995, John Lee signed his first solo record deal with Hypertension/BMG in Germany and continues to tour as a solo act throughout Europe. John Lee is now based out of Kelowna, British Columbia with his wife Judy. He works out of his own studio and is writing film scores, music for television, and working on an upcoming musical and various solo projects.

John Lee just releaseed his first concert DVD in January 2007 and is writing a musical with Chris Caswell. As previously mentioned, John Lee arranged and sang all lead and background vocals on Doc Kupka's new release, "Doc Goes Hollywood", produced and arranged by Hollywood heavyweight film arranger William Ross.

Check out John Lee Sanders' great Blues release, "Live at Rock Beach" and hear Blues from the soul of a true Blues master.