Six Time Grammy-Winning Saxophonist David Sanborn Dead at 78

David Sanborn, a renowned jazz saxophonist who played on records for some of the most prominent artists of his generation, including Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, and others, passed away this week at the age of 78.

The news of Sanborn’s passing was confirmed through a post on his social media page, which mentioned that Mr. Sanborn had been fighting prostate cancer for the past few years. Despite his diagnosis, Sanborn was able to maintain his normal schedule of concerts until just recently.

Some of the other legendary names that David worked alongside throughout his career are B.B. King, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Kenny Loggins, The Eagles, Aretha Franklin, Billy Joel, Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, and more.

Throughout his esteemed career, Sanborn had 17 albums appear on the Billboard 200 and appeared on the top Jazz Albums a dozen times, with four of the albums peaking at #2 on the list.

In addition to Sanborn’s impressive list of stars he has worked alongside, he has also collected quite a bit of hardware himself, winning six Grammy Awards across a wide range of genres from Jazz to Pop.

In addition to being an incredible studio musician for many popular artists, Sanborn also toured with big stars like Stevie Wonder and David Bowie.

Sanborn also worked as a member of the Saturday Night Live band in 1980. Additionally, he became a regular guest member of Paul Shaffer’s band on Late Night with David Letterman. David also appeared as a guest on the show in the 1990s.

David was born on July 30, 1945, in Tampa, Florida. Shortly after he was born, Sanborn moved to Kirkwood, Missouri, where he was raised. After being diagnosed with polio as a child, it was recommended that Sanborn start playing the saxophone to strengthen his weakened chest muscles and improve his breathing.

Rest in peace to a legend of the industry!

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