John Baker Saunders

For other people named John Saunders, see John Saunders (disambiguation).

John Baker Saunders
Born	September 23, 1954(1954-09-23) Montgomery, Alabama
Died	January 15, 1999(1999-01-15) (aged 44) Seattle, Washington
Genres	Alternative rock, grunge, blues
Occupations	Musician, bassist
Instruments	Bass guitar
Associated acts	Mad Season, The Walkabouts, Lamont Cranston Band

John Baker Saunders (September 23, 1954 – January 15, 1999) was a founding member and bassist for the American grunge rock supergroup Mad Season, as well as a member of The Walkabouts. He was born in Montgomery, Alabama and later attended Providence College. Saunders began his career as a blues bassist, working with traditional blues artists in Chicago, such as Hubert Sumlin and Sammy Fender. He recorded and toured Europe with the Seattle-based band, The Walkabouts. Saunders also worked with the Lamont Cranston, in Minneapolis. In 1994, Saunders went into a Minneapolis drug rehabilitation facility, where he met Pearl Jam's Mike McCready. After completing treatment, Saunders and McCready returned to Seattle and formed a band called The Gacy Bunch, with vocalist Layne Staley and drummer Barrett Martin. They soon changed the band's name to Mad Season. Mad Season's acclaimed album, Above, released in 1995, was awarded a gold record for sales in the United States. It was the only album that Mad Season would record.

Death and the end of Mad Season

In 1997, when Mad Season vocalist Layne Staley left the band, the remaining members tried to revive the band by finding a new singer. Despite several attempts, they would give up due to the death of Saunders. After Saunders had gone 10 years without heroin, he had a relapse and died on January 15, 1999. In 2002, Mad Season vocalist Layne Staley would also die from an overdose of heroin, leaving Barrett Martin and Mike McCready as the only members of Mad Season still alive.