By Shellie Warren.

Grammy-winning production team, Drew Ramsey and Shannon Sanders

When you’re a music producer, people are more concerned with the quality of your music rather than your physical appearance. For the Grammy-winning production team, Drew Ramsey and Shannon Sanders, that has worked brilliantly in their favor.

Although they come from two very different cultures and backgrounds, they both share a deep love for good music. Both recall growing up listening to Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, and Jimi Hendrix.

“They called it ‘music’ back then,” Drew says. “But that’s when the record industry was young and naïve. Once companies realized the full financial potential of what they were sitting on, the demographics and marketing kicked in.”

That was around the time that marketing labels such as “urban music” became all the rage. While Drew and Shannon have seen some success in the “urban market” — producing Grammy winning tracks for India.Arie and songs for Heather Headley, Eric Benet, and John Legend — people often describe their talents as “genre-less.” Artists like blues singer Jonny Lang, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Marc Broussard, Jesse McCartney, Nicole C. Mullen, and Mandisa are also singers who have Drew and Shannon listed on their liner notes.

Shannon and Drew love it that way. “We’re not genre-specific and we don’t see in color,” Shannon says. “Now I will admit that our different upbringings, Drew listening to more authentic rock and me listening to lots of hip-hop, definitely helps us in covering all of the bases when we sit down to create. While race may have dictated our backgrounds, we don’t censor our relationship. I think that’s why it works so well. I don’t try to water down who he is to make me feel more comfortable and Drew is the same way with me. We accept who we are and that provides a wonderful creative atmosphere.”

However, these Music City musicians are not naïve. They know that not everyone is a fan of their musical partnership. In fact, Shannon recalls a time when the “N” word was spray-painted on the side of the studio where they produced his debut album less than 10 years ago.

mixing board

"I was angry. I was disappointed,” Shannon says. “But I took it in stride.”Drew shares the same sentiments. “A reporter once asked me something about whether, or not, my southern upbringing affected the way Shannon and I work together,” Drew recalls. “I didn’t react to that. I just thought about the question and what I thought was a pure and honest answer arose. ‘It wasn’t so much what my parents taught me, but what they didn’t teach me. When they were raising us to take people as they come, good or bad, this applied to all people. They never, in words or actions, conveyed that any particular race or culture should receive preferential treatment; it was more about character than characterizations.

“Martin Luther King encouraged people to not focus on the color of someone’s skin, but the content of their character,” Shannon says. “We believe, support, and try to translate that through our music.”

Article reprinted with permission of USAonRace.com

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