[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 48 (Thursday, March 25, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E490-E491]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING THE LIFE OF WILROY SANDERS

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                            HON. STEVE COHEN

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 25, 2010

  Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the life of Mr. 
Wilroy Sanders, a Korean War Veteran, legendary blues musician, and 
beloved Memphian. Mr. Sanders was born Willie Roy Sanders in Byhalia, 
Mississippi and moved to Memphis in the early 1930's. From an early 
age, he demonstrated a remarkable gift for music--teaching himself to 
play guitar and even making his own guitars. His unique musical style 
was developed from a combination of his church upbringing and 
traditional blues music.
  After serving in the U.S. Army from 1953-1955, Mr. Sanders returned 
home to Memphis to pursue his passion for music. In the early 1960s, he 
played in a series of bands including the Binghampton Blues Boys which 
became renowned for their song, ``Crosscut Saw.'' Many blues musicians, 
including Albert King and Eric Clapton, have since covered this hit.
  Wilroy Sanders went on to form the Fieldstones, a blues band known 
for the songs ``Blues at Nightfall'' and ``Dirt Road.'' In the 1990s, 
The Fieldstones became the house band for the popular Green's Lounge in 
Memphis. Soon afterwards, Mr. Sanders and his wife, Dorothy Mae Tucker 
Sanders, became owners of Green's Lounge, which they owned until it was 
destroyed by fire in 1997.
  Memphis music label Shangri-La produced a 1999 documentary 
celebrating the life and work of Wilroy Sanders entitled Will Roy 
Sanders: The Last Living Bluesman. The documentary noted that Mr. 
Sanders was, like Rufus Thomas, ``a total entertainer'' and dubbed the 
Fieldstones ``one of the hottest blues bands ever from Memphis.''
  Mr. Sanders touched the lives of many in Memphis and across the 
nation. He passed away on Tuesday, February 16, 2010, at the age of 76. 
We are truly honored for his service in the U.S. Army and for his 
contributions to the Memphis blues community. Wilroy Sanders' legacy 
lives on through his wife, children and his music.

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