7th And Beale: Bio

Stanfield Major - Lyricist & Marketing

Stanfield Major was born in Normal, Illinois, on February 21st 1953, and raised in nearby Eureka.

He began writing lyrics at the tender age of 14 during the tumultuous musical years of the late 1960’s. His primary influences during this period were Bob Dylan and the Beatles although he was listening to a range of music that included Frank Zappa, Merle Haggard, Smokey Robinson, Jacque Brel, the Doors, the Rolling Stones, Harry Partch, the Chicago Transit Authority (later Chicago), Simon And Garfunkel, Edgar Varese, Johnny Cash, to only name a few.

In 1970 he began collaborating with Rich Teegarden, also from Eureka, and over the course of the next nine years they wrote more than seventy songs together.

In 1973, during an extended visit to San Francisco, California, Stanfield wrote a couple of lyrics for the revue “Roll Over Alice” with music by Reuben Burke. Later Reuben wrote music for several other of his lyrics.

In 1980, following his move to Santa Barbara, California, Stanfield joined the Santa Barbara Songwriter’s Guild. It was through this organization that he met Steven Williams, his next major collaborator. Over the next four years they wrote twenty-two songs together.

Through his association with Steven Williams, Stanfield learned a lot about the music business. They presented their songs to music publishers and other music business professionals at the monthly Santa Barbara Songwriter’s Guild Showcases, during frequent visits to Los Angeles, and through submissions by mail. Despite encouraging words and a couple of publishing contracts none of their songs were recorded.

During this time they were also taking songwriting classes with Jack Segal (Scarlet Ribbons, When Sunny Gets Blue) and Alan O’Day (Undercover Angel, Angie Baby, Rock & Roll Heaven).

In 1984 Stanfield moved to Nashville and, after making some half hearted forays to Music Row, dropped out of the music business. But continued to write lyrics.

In 1989 he moved to Kingman, Arizona.

In 1998, initially inspired by Bob Dylan’s “Time Out Of Mind”, Stanfield wrote seventeen lyrics after years of writing only one or two. The following year he joined the Las Vegas Songwriter’s Association. For the next two years he often made a 200 mile commute to participate in the LVSA weekly songwriting workshop.

In March 2001 he attended the Southern Utah Songwriting School in St. George and was privileged to meet and learn from Steve Seskin (Grown Men Don’t Cry, Don’t Laugh At Me, No Doubt About It) and Beth Neilson Chapman (Walk My Way, This Kiss, Happy Girl). The lyric for “All She Ever Wanted” was born when Steve Seskin challenged a class to write a song using that title.

Following the trauma of September 11th Stanfield once again retreated from the music business. Although, like before, he continued to write.

In early September of 2007 he placed an ad seeking local musicians in the local Dollar Saver and the rest is…

Katherine Stewart - Female Vocalist

Katherine Stewart was born in Reno, Nevada, and raised in Nevada and Oklahoma.

She’s been playing and singing for as long as she can remember but hasn’t played much lately.

Katherine’s family was a big musical influence during her early years. She remembers, “ the Sunday afternoons I spent at my grandparent’s house, eating beer battered deep fried catfish, home made ice cream, and singing and playing with all of my mothers family.”

She’s been running her own karaoke business for the last seven years.

She enjoys old and new country, especially bands like Little Big Town, that do a lot of harmony and play many of the instruments that she grew up listening to and playing when she was a child.

Gilbert Sanchez - Music Writer & Band Leader

Gilbert Sanchez was born and raised in San Juan Capistrano, California, where he went to San Clemente high school and graduated in 1967

He started playing guitar around the age of twelve, began learning bass at age fifteen, and added piano to the list when he was sixteen.

From an early age Gilbert enjoyed a wide variety of music. He listened to Mexican, cowboy, country and western, early rock and roll, and doo-wop music. Later he tuned into the British Invasion, Motown, R&B, Blues, and Top 40. He also liked swing, old pop standards, and folk music.

When he was about sixteen he began playing in bands and has been in and out of different bands, playing a variety of styles of music, his whole life. He has constantly sought to learn more songs and get together with anyone who can teach him something new.

His influences and listening favorites include, but aren’t limited to, Louis Prima, Ernest Tubb, the Beatles, Jimmie Rodgers, Brenda Lee, Bee Gees, Johnny Olen, Patsy Cline, Hank Snow, Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding, Stan Getz, and the Rolling Stones.

Tim Clark - Recording Engineer

Tim Clark was born in Middletown, Ohio, on September 17th 1958, and raised in Cave Creek, Arizona.

He started playing the guitar around 12 or 13 years old. His first music influences were playing Bluegrass and Country Western music with his close friends around Cave Creek.

In 1986 he bought his first computer, a Commodore VIC-20, to control his Auto Orchestra, a one man band ensemble, and discovered a better way to make a living... working in the computer field.

By 2006 he was burned out in the computer field and, since he already owned land in northern Arizona, he decided to move there.

Hoping to get some time to pick up his music again, and out of the sheer fear of nothing to do out in the desert, he bought his first digital recorder a Roland 2000CD.

In the same year that he moved to Dolan Springs he met Gilbert Sanchez. They've been playing local gigs together and recording ever since.