Courtesy of The Valory Music Co.
NASHVILLE, TN (January 28, 2021) – Marshall, Arkansas born-and-raised HEATH SANDERS spent nearly a decade working on natural gas wells before taking a chance on himself. With a four-song collection he penned due at midnight ET, Heath sings about life lessons found on COMMON GROUND. Listen here.
Opening with a fresh take on the core of his upbringing (“Old School’s In”) to the value of your word (“Can’t Undo I Do”), Heath builds on the character of his hometown community, yet it’s “Common Ground” that digs deepest with a message of unity in spite of differences. On the title track, he sings – We’re all findin’ our own way / We’re all livin’, we’re all learnin’ / From the cradle to the grave / We’re all weak, we’re all strong / We’re all right, and we’re all wrong / And when time runs out / We all end up /In common ground. The set finishes on the sexy romp “Love Needs Makin’,” that makes quarantine a little more appealing. On his debut project recorded alongside esteemed producer Dann Huff, Billboard offers, “Sanders addresses music with a natural blue-collar grit.”
COMMON GROUND Tracklist:
1. “Old School’s In” | Written by Heath Sanders, Casey Beathard, Houston Phillips
2. “Can’t Undo I Do” | Written by Heath Sanders, Kyle Jacobs, Anthony McVaney
3. “Common Ground” | Written by Heath Sanders, Jay Brunswick, Jeremy Bussey
4. “Love Needs Makin’” | Written by Heath Sanders, Ben Hayslip, Chris Stevens
“The culture in the Ozarks where I grew up is very musical. Up in the hills where people have to drive an hour to come into town to do anything, you’d sit on the front porch and play a banjo or a six-string for fun,” Heath says. “Almost everybody in my family plays some sort of instrument.”
Despite that rich musical history, few where Heath grew up ever thought of music as a livelihood. “Where I come from, your pleasure and your dreams are put on the back-burner. All that matters is hard work and dedication to family,” he continues.
In early 2018 Heath filmed a version of Chris Stapleton’s “Either Way” from his living room, posting the cover on Facebook and quickly transforming his life as an overnight viral sensation among the working-class communities in the Midwest and Rust Belt. After seeing the reaction, Heath sold one of his deer-hunting rifles and used the money to buy a PA system to play in bars around the region.
His buddies in the oil fields encouraged him to dream bigger, but it was his momma’s final push in the form of a hand-written letter listing the reasons why he should seriously consider a new career that prompted Heath to give the gas company his two-week notice.
Heath was invited to Nashville shortly thereafter for an opportunity that would ultimately solidify his path — an appearance on The Bobby Bones Show. The genuine realness reverberated through the airwaves continues to inform the songs he writes for Country fans who are just like him – folks who identify with hard work and have the sore backs and tired feet to show for it.
“While I didn’t appreciate it at the time, I’m grateful that I can honestly sing about the experience. I don’t think there’s enough people who’ve swung a hammer, milked cows, hauled hay or cut logs for a living,” Heath suggests. “If people want to hear a working dude up there singing the realities of smalltown community or life lessons learned from conversations on a riverbank, I can give them that.”
Signed to The Valory Music Co. and named as one of Pandora’s 2021 Country Artists To Watch, Heath draws upon a lifetime of early mornings and long days in his music to emerge as the new voice of the workingman. His first single, “Old School’s In” officially arrives for adds at Country radio on March 8.
Take a virtual stroll through Heath’s hometown and follow his journey at HeathSanders.com.
