Ted Sanchez … the man and his music
Since he was a boy singing in the back of his parents ’ car during family trips , the road Ted Sanchez has travelled has always brought him back to music .
Sanchez has sung in front of hundreds of audiences around the world for the past 40-plus years . Today , semi-retired , the 64-year-old crooner has his own big band and also sings with the South Bay Swing Band . He is best known for his covers of Frank Sinatra classics as well as show tunes . But Sanchez said there were times in his life that a career in music seemed improbable .
Born and raised in Sunnyvale , Sanchez said his Dad had hoped that he would one day take over his construction company . Sanchez had planned to become an engineer , but he took a voice class at De Anza College under the direction of Royal Stanton , the choir director and voice teacher of De Anza College . He found himself transferring and singing opera at San Jose State University . He remembers receiving high marks in singing in Russian , Italian , French , and German .
He took a jazz class at Northridge University the following summer . When he returned to school in the fall , he learned that he would be representing SJSU in a singing competition in Germany . But Sanchez left school when his Dad suffered a stroke . He worked at a few different jobs , including driving trucks and working in a quarry .
Then a friend called and once again Sanchez ’ s path veered back to music .
“ He said you ’ ve got to learn 35 songs . You can make 35 bucks a night ,” Sanchez chuckles .
His friend taught him how to play guitar and Sanchez began playing in clubs at night - including the former Loft in San Jose and the Gazebo in Los Gatos , which is now California Café Restaurant – while working his day job in the quarry . He said the clanging of the conveyor belt became his metronome .
“ I had learned what dinner shows are all about . And how you can take an audience and hear a pin drop ,” Ted said .
Then an accident on the job caused Ted to lose his ring finger on his left hand shortly after he was married .
“ Ah , man I had just learned those 35 songs ,” Ted recalls lamenting . But he persevered , singing at weddings every weekend , once performing at five weddings in one weekend . Ted moved to Gilroy in 1977 . He worked five to six days a week , while performing four nights a week and weddings on the weekends to help supplement his income to pay for his new home in Gilroy .
During the week , he continued working , eventually becoming the Apprentice Coordinator for the Operating Engineers local # 3 , 15 years before retiring . During the course of his career , he built roads , freeway , dams , major pipelines , and subdivisions - some right here in Gilroy . He retired eight years ago and is a nearly 40-year member of the Operating Engineers Local # 3 .
Then in 1981 , Ted broke his hand playing baseball . “ Everything came to an end ,” he said . Ted couldn ’ t play the guitar comfortably for more than a half hour when previously it wouldn ’ t be unusual for him to play two two-hour sets back to back . Ted ’ s hand eventually healed and he went onto make a recording of some of his songs in 1983 . He stopped singing again after his Dad ’ s death and started playing again in 1992 . He opened for Martina McBride in 1999 .
During that time , he sang the National Anthem numerous times at sporting events . He remembers fondly his first time singing it before an A ’ s game at Candlestick Park and years later with his daughter Julia . His scrapbooks are filled with pictures of his performances , including those at American Cancer Society benefits and singing the National Anthem at A ’ s , Giants , Raiders , and Little League games .
“ That means more to me than anything to sing the National Anthem . Because I remember my dad and my uncles , and my buddies who never came back from Vietnam ,” Ted says .
Besides his daughter Julia , who lives in San Jose , Ted has two other children , Tammy and Ted , who live in Gilroy , as well as three grandchildren , and one on the way .
He said all his children attended Gilroy High School and instead of living in a grand home , he chose to live modestly to help his children through school .
Ted began singing with the South Bay Swing Band in 1999 . Formed just a year earlier , the band plays Big Band music , including the styles of Glen Miller , Benny Goodman , and Tommy Dorsey , under the direction of saxophonist Steve Chambers . They began playing primarily for private parties , and then started performing regularly at local restaurants . They were invited to be a featured band at the Gilroy Garlic Festival ’ s main stage and their performance schedule grew to include a formal Holiday Winter Ball , events at Mirassou Winery , and the City of Gilroy ’ s 75th Birthday Bash .
In 2001 , the South Bay Swing Band recorded a CD called “ Uptown Stomp ” featuring all three vocalists , including Ted , and several band soloists . They have been featured in the Morgan Hill Downtown Friday Night Music Series and Gilroy ’ s Community Summer Concert Series .
“ I played for so many different people . I played from the very wealthy to ( a performance in ) a garage ,” Ted recalls . “ Some of the most fun places I played were like in the Whiskey Creek Saloon in Hollister .”
This past May , Ted returned from a four-month trip touring . He sang for a wedding in Lagos de Moreno in Mexico , and then performed in a private party in Thailand and then a nightclub in the Philippines . He went on to play private parties in La Quinta , Tucson , Dallas and Corpus Christi .
Now , he mainly plays private parties , which he is happy about . “ You have a captive audience ,” Ted explains , but said he isn ’ t opposed to playing at a small venue again . Ted also likes to play golf and fish , adding that he just learned how to fly fish while visiting family in Texas .
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