Dallas-based drummer, musician and beloved pillar of the D-FW music community, Guyton Sanders, died earlier this week after battling a long-term illness, according to an announcement from the Vandoliers, of which Sanders was a founding member.

When news broke about Sanders’ death, his bandmates, friends and fans alike from across the country took to social media to share stories of his influence on their lives.

“A darling man, a ray of light and a rare talent,” said Johnette Napolitano, singer of the band Concrete Blonde. As a member of Dallas rock band Menkena, Sanders — alongside Jimmy Menkena, Eric Martin, Mark Pirro, Christopher Robinson and Joe Elizondo — toured with Concrete Blonde years ago.

For singer-songwriter Menkena, Sanders’ passing came as a bit of a shock.

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“My boy was one of the most generous, most gifted artists I’ve ever known,” Menkena says, “I love him dearly, and my heart hurts in his absence.”

For Pirro, also a founding member of Tripping Daisy, Sanders’ lasting impression was one of kindness and humility.

“He was one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met,” Pirro says. “For someone so unassuming, the fact that so many people are reaching out and posting about him is a real testament to his character.”

Sanders (right), was a mainstay in the Dallas music scene, playing in many bands over the last couple decades.

Before moving to Dallas over 20 years ago, Sanders spent time cutting his teeth in bands in Birmingham, Alabama, and across Louisiana, both during and after attending college. In Dallas, Sanders played with a long list of bands, including The Memory Shivers, Menkena, The Demigs, Bad Enders, The Caterpillars, The Happy Bullets and Vandoliers, among others. 

Originally relocating to Dallas to join the Eric Martin-fronted neo-psychedelic band, Hi-Fi Drowning, in the late ’90s, Sanders quickly became a fixture in the Deep Ellum scene, eventually joining The Happy Bullets. It was with The Happy Bullets that he made a lifelong friend and musical partner in bassist Tom Macaulay, as the the two shared not only a love of music but also a love of film.

“It’s been really nice to see the outpouring on social media,” Macaulay said. “I’ve been playing with Guyton for 14 years, and we were so locked in together. Aside from just being bandmates, we were close, we talked about life, bands, movies… just about everything, and I really enjoyed how we could geek out on those kinds of things.” 

Macaulay also recalled Sanders’ graciousness when the former was dealing with the death of his dog, Sarah.

“Guyton came over and hung out, and little Sarah just clung to him, sitting on the couch,” Macaulay says. “When she finally passed, Guyton called, and I picked up the phone, and he was in tears over this, and it meant so much to me that he cared so much.”

As a bandmate, Macaulay had always thought of Sanders as a calming presence, often soothing his fellow rhythm section player before gigs.

“Anytime we were playing together in Happy Bullets or Memory Shivers, when I first got to a club, I always looked for Guyton immediately,” Macauly says. “He was kind of like a beacon of security I could go to and then ease out from there into the night. I can also recall three New Year’s Eves where I passed him a glass of champagne on stage, and we toasted, and after shows, it was always Guyton and me breaking down his drums and loading out. We had a routine, and it was important that every time we parted, we hugged.”

Their most recent band, The Memory Shivers, was almost poetically fronted by former Menkena bandmate and the Hi-Fi Drowning singer-songwriter, Eric Martin. For Martin, the loss of such a close, longtime friend and his current bandmate has been nothing less than devastating.

“The biggest thing about Guyton was his humble sweetness, one of the most genuine and high-character people I’ve ever met,” Martin says. “Before Memory Shivers, I played with a drummer named Patrick Allen in a band called Heart Eyes Open before moving to New York. When I got back, I started Memory Shivers with Patrick and Jenise Neil, but had written all of these other drum parts, and when I realized that Memory Shivers were going to need more limbs to play these parts, I asked Guyton.”

For Martin, asking such an accomplished drummer to play an auxiliary role in his new project came with a certain risk, knowing that Sanders was a thunderstorm of a drummer in his own right.

“He’s a true first-string drummer, and he really got creative with it,” Martin says. “He and Patrick hit it off immediately, playing together, and when Pat moved to Florida, Guyton became our full-time drummer.”

When Allen learned of Sanders’ death, he had his own words to offer, honoring his longtime friend and fellow drummer.

“It’s devastating to hear the news,” Allen says. “I’m at a loss for words. Guyton was so special, and a hell of a good drummer. I’ll never forget those recording sessions trying to lock in ‘Ghosts in the Garden.’ It was so humble of him to play auxiliary drums on our EP, ‘O24get.’ He was so sweet to me, I can’t believe he’s gone.”

In the early 2020s, The Memory Shivers would come to be a force of psychedelic shoegaze in North Texas, appearing on 2023’s ‘Sounds of Deep Ellum’ compilation record. Martin fondly recalls Sanders’ commitment to the band and dedication to his craft. 

“One of the sweet things I loved about rehearsals with Guyton and the Shivers was that we’d go for hours,” Martin says. “He was so creative about how he did things. When I would make demos with electronic drum parts on the computer, my first thoughts were always how I couldn’t wait to hear what Guyton did with the parts. He knew how to create a 1960s feel with a John Bonham walk to it.”

Along with former Menkena and Caterpillars bandmate Christopher Robinson, who had recently joined up with The Memory Shivers on guitar, the band had rehearsed for the first time with Robinson just a few weeks before Sanders’ passing. The final rehearsal with Sanders proved to be a euphoric one for the longtime musicians and friends, leaving all, including Robinson, blown away at the sheer finesse and skill Sanders had behind the kit.

“In all the years I have played with Guyton, I don’t think I ever saw that guy make a mistake,” Robinson says. “You could play a song for him one time, and he would have it down like clockwork. He was also the most dynamically perfect player that you could have. [He] knew what songs called for and you didn’t have to dictate parts because he was already doing something better.”

Martin says that final Memory Shivers rehearsal with Sanders ended almost cinematically.

“That last rehearsal was Chris’ first time to play with us, and he played with Guyton when [Robinson] was 17 years old,” Martin says. “We had an amazing rehearsal. Guyton was pounding the kit, and it was all high spirits in the room. Afterward, it was all hugs and ‘I love you’ and then that was it. It was a good memory, and it ended on such a high note. No one would have thought he was going to be gone in just a few weeks. Don’t be afraid to say ‘I love you’ to people, because life is fragile and I’m so glad that that was our culture in The Memory Shivers.”

Phantomelo singer and guitarist Will Rakkar, who started Band Enders with both Sanders and Robinson back in 2008, knew the clebrated drummer not only as a great musician, but also as an impromptu educator.

“He was like a big brother to me,” Rakkar says. “He really introduced the business side of music to me, but the thing I’ll remember the most about him was that laugh. Once you got him going, he couldn’t stop.”

For many others in the local music community, including Sanders’ former drum students, his influence on them was profound. Caved Mountains drummer Eric Grubbs fondly remembers his former drum teacher’s grace and patience.

“I met Guyton through a mutual friend he was dating at the time, and he was an instantly likable, very relaxed, very kind guy,” Grubbs says. “He was consistent as both a player and a person. He never made me feel bad for not knowing the basics because when I got into drums in high school, I just wanted to bash away and didn’t have the time for rudiments. When I sat down with Guyton and he taught me the basics, I became a better drummer, and he always encouraged me to play in a band. I thank him for believing in me.” 

Former Metzger Vintage Audio owner and Spinster Records manager Nick Metzger remembers Sanders’ spirit with a simple but failproof testament.

“There’s a saying that the measure of a man is not his wealth, but how many people count him as a friend,” Metzger says. “Just by looking at social media this week and seeing the outpour of love for Guyton proves he was a very measurable man indeed.”

And though Sanders’ passion for drums led him to amass a 120+ deep collection of full drum sets for a collection he loved, his collection of friends has proved to be eternal.

A Deep Ellum celebration of Sanders’ life is in the works, with details expected in the coming weeks.