It’s often been said about Sandy Stringfellow that his vocal timbre has the
resonant feel of a modern day Johnny Cash.
“That puzzles me a bit,” he confided in a recent interview. “Johnny Cash
has been a musical influence and inspiration for me since high school,
but his voice has a deeper pitch than mine.” That may be true, but when
you listen to him it’s quite clear that Sandy Stringfellow means what he
sings about in his songs.
His fascination with songwriting was evident from the age of seven, when
he would compose simple self-taught piano instrumentals. Since his
early teens, songwriting has been the consistent professional goal in his
life.
“I enjoy writing songs that tell a story. As a songwriter, it’s more
interesting for me to write about different people, places and events rather
than focusing exclusively on first hand encounters.”
Sandy Stringfellow began taking piano lessons at age nine, drum lessons
at age eleven, and guitar lessons at age thirteen. Born and raised in
Gainesville, Florida, he played electric guitar and drums in various local
bands. Looking back on his formative years, he recalled the wealth of
regional talent.
“When I was a teenager in Gainesville, there were some exceptional
bands in that area of Florida. The Maundy Quintet had two members end
up in the Eagles. Mudcrutch became Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
Duane and Greg Allman, Lynyrd Skynyrd; it was a rich musical
environment.”
Having played in local groups since junior high, he began to understand
the considerable difficulty of forming a band unified in musical direction.
“The seventies were a frustrating time for me musically. I learned
that musical synergy is an elusive thing. I was earning my living by
alternating between commercial carpentry and retail audio/musical
instrument sales. I listened to country music and rock ‘n roll mostly, along
with some bluegrass and R&B.
Country music didn’t enjoy the main stream popularity it has today. It
seemed as if most of the musicians I met in Gainesville back then were
immersed in glam rock, new wave, heavy metal or punk. I remember
going to various band auditions where the objective was to see who could
play the loudest.
I found it equally frustrating that nobody I knew of was writing songs or
even interested in trying, except for Tom Petty. The thing about Tom was
that his song writing was so exceptionally good, even back then, that it
was somewhat intimidating to engage in musical discourse with him. Not
that he was condescending or anything like that. He just knew so much.
I’d been around super talented musicians before. Benmont Tench and I
played together in our first band. Bernie Leadon used to show up at some
of the local bluegrass picking parties.
But I’d never been around anyone who seemed to know the first thing
about song writing, and here was this local cat writing better songs than
most of what was being played on the radio.
In my senior year of high school I used to hang out at the infamous farm
house just to listen to Mudcrutch practice sessions. It was obvious to me
that Mudcrutch had something special. There was a definite musical
synergy born of talented musicians, excellent songs, and a common
creative direction.
I tried for some years to find or cultivate the musical vibration that existed
with Mudcrutch. In reality, they were so far above and beyond what was
reasonable to expect. And yet, I continued to dream. It finally became
apparent that, for me at least, it was time to do things differently.”
Since then Sandy Stringfellow has been writing and recording songs in
his home studio. He’s a songwriter that covers a lot of ground. Don’t be
surprised if he takes you from hard hitting political commentary to
humorous romance, from heart rending ballad to an up tempo tune that
rocks your socks.
His unvarnished down to earth style, originality, and common sense are a
refreshing change from the predictable and worn out renditions that
remain the standard fare for many acoustic guitar-toting entertainers. The
irresistible qualities of hope, understanding, humor, and love that
permeate his songwriting provide for a memorable musical
experience.
resonant feel of a modern day Johnny Cash.
“That puzzles me a bit,” he confided in a recent interview. “Johnny Cash
has been a musical influence and inspiration for me since high school,
but his voice has a deeper pitch than mine.” That may be true, but when
you listen to him it’s quite clear that Sandy Stringfellow means what he
sings about in his songs.
His fascination with songwriting was evident from the age of seven, when
he would compose simple self-taught piano instrumentals. Since his
early teens, songwriting has been the consistent professional goal in his
life.
“I enjoy writing songs that tell a story. As a songwriter, it’s more
interesting for me to write about different people, places and events rather
than focusing exclusively on first hand encounters.”
Sandy Stringfellow began taking piano lessons at age nine, drum lessons
at age eleven, and guitar lessons at age thirteen. Born and raised in
Gainesville, Florida, he played electric guitar and drums in various local
bands. Looking back on his formative years, he recalled the wealth of
regional talent.
“When I was a teenager in Gainesville, there were some exceptional
bands in that area of Florida. The Maundy Quintet had two members end
up in the Eagles. Mudcrutch became Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
Duane and Greg Allman, Lynyrd Skynyrd; it was a rich musical
environment.”
Having played in local groups since junior high, he began to understand
the considerable difficulty of forming a band unified in musical direction.
“The seventies were a frustrating time for me musically. I learned
that musical synergy is an elusive thing. I was earning my living by
alternating between commercial carpentry and retail audio/musical
instrument sales. I listened to country music and rock ‘n roll mostly, along
with some bluegrass and R&B.
Country music didn’t enjoy the main stream popularity it has today. It
seemed as if most of the musicians I met in Gainesville back then were
immersed in glam rock, new wave, heavy metal or punk. I remember
going to various band auditions where the objective was to see who could
play the loudest.
I found it equally frustrating that nobody I knew of was writing songs or
even interested in trying, except for Tom Petty. The thing about Tom was
that his song writing was so exceptionally good, even back then, that it
was somewhat intimidating to engage in musical discourse with him. Not
that he was condescending or anything like that. He just knew so much.
I’d been around super talented musicians before. Benmont Tench and I
played together in our first band. Bernie Leadon used to show up at some
of the local bluegrass picking parties.
But I’d never been around anyone who seemed to know the first thing
about song writing, and here was this local cat writing better songs than
most of what was being played on the radio.
In my senior year of high school I used to hang out at the infamous farm
house just to listen to Mudcrutch practice sessions. It was obvious to me
that Mudcrutch had something special. There was a definite musical
synergy born of talented musicians, excellent songs, and a common
creative direction.
I tried for some years to find or cultivate the musical vibration that existed
with Mudcrutch. In reality, they were so far above and beyond what was
reasonable to expect. And yet, I continued to dream. It finally became
apparent that, for me at least, it was time to do things differently.”
Since then Sandy Stringfellow has been writing and recording songs in
his home studio. He’s a songwriter that covers a lot of ground. Don’t be
surprised if he takes you from hard hitting political commentary to
humorous romance, from heart rending ballad to an up tempo tune that
rocks your socks.
His unvarnished down to earth style, originality, and common sense are a
refreshing change from the predictable and worn out renditions that
remain the standard fare for many acoustic guitar-toting entertainers. The
irresistible qualities of hope, understanding, humor, and love that
permeate his songwriting provide for a memorable musical
experience.
About Sandy
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