Groundbreaking saxophonist David Sanborn turns 65 today [July 30].  Born in Tampa, FL but raised near St. Louis, MO, he took up the sax as a form of therapy after being diagnosed with polio. At 14, he was playing with blues legends Albert King and Little Milton.  As a member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, he played Woodstock (recalling that they went on at 5 a.m., right before Jimi Hendrix woke the crowd with his incendiary version of “The Star Spangled Banner”).

Sanborn quickly established himself as a leading session player, working with artists ranging from James Brown, Stevie Wonder and Eric Clapton, to Steely Dan, Bruce Springsteen and perhaps most famously, David Bowie [that’s his solo on “Young Americans”].  The multi-Grammy winner’s music is also featured in many film and TV shows, including the theme to “L.A. Law” and the Lethal Weapon movies.  He’s been a frequent guest of Paul Shaffer’s band on the Letterman show, and hosted his own eclectic TV series, Night Music.

Sanborn’s most recent album, Only Everything, was released at the beginning of 2010.

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