Heath Sanders has today released his four-song collection – Common Ground – that navigates oil fields and life lessons.
Marshall, Arkansas born-and-raised, singer-songwriter Heath Sanders has spent almost a decade working on the oil fields, before taking a chance on music. On his new four-song collection – released today – Heath sings about his life lessons on Common Ground. Listen to the project 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 expands on the character of his hometown community and looks back at his upbringing, 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 – a trailblazer in Nashville – Billboard says, “Sanders addresses music with a natural blue-collar grit.”
Of his upbringing, Sanders says, “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…Almost everybody in my family plays some sort of instrument.” Despite the rich musical history of the area, few thought of music as a potential livelihood.
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 this, Heath played in bars around the region, but it was his friends in the oil fields who encouraged him to dream bigger – his mom being the final push to considering music as a career. 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. “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.
COMMON GROUND Tracklist:
- “Old School’s In” | Written by Heath Sanders, Casey Beathard, Houston Phillips
- “Can’t Undo I Do” | Written by Heath Sanders, Kyle Jacobs, Anthony McVaney
- “Common Ground” | Written by Heath Sanders, Jay Brunswick, Jeremy Bussey
- “Love Needs Makin’” | Written by Heath Sanders, Ben Hayslip, Chris Stevens
