Crossroads & Highways

7th and Beale is a crossroads of styles and experience. Crossroads suggest an openness to information arriving from at least four directions. Now all that knowledge is focused in one location. And, like old highways that are no longer the fastest way to get from here to there but which still provide a unique experience, 7th and Beale rewards the discerning listener with a sound and sensibility very different from the current radio rush hour freeway. Highways, as opposed to freeways or interstates, bring to mind an intimate exploration of the heartland. The group was born within blocks of old Route 66, a highway so rich with memories that they practically seep into one's pores. A few blocks further Interstate 40 thunders with engines straining to get to somewhere else, all that seeps into the pores are nervous intensity and exhaust fumes. So the concept behind Crossroads And Highways is the consolidation of knowledge and talent on one hand and the reaching out to historical truths and new possibilities on the other. The seed of 7th and Beale came into being when Stanfield Major and Gilbert Sanchez met for the first time at Metcalfe Park in Kingman, Arizona, on September 18th 2007. Gilbert had his guitar and Stanfield had a folder full of lyrics; in a very short time they were working together to create songs. Tim Clark, the next member of the team, was enlisted when Gilbert needed help with recording the music he was generating. Just a year earlier Tim had invested in a Roland 2000 CD digital studio. Last, but certainly not least, Katherine Stewart was included when Gilbert and Stanfield realized that they needed a female vocalist for Mustang Man, one of the first songs they wrote. Once Katherine joined, the 7th and Beale sound emerged. It's a sound built out of old and new and aimed at ageless, with down to earth, heartfelt, archetypal themes. It's a mix of older Country styles with a hint of Bluegrass, a dollop of Patsy Cline, a bit of Honky Tonk, and some 70's smooth, but done in a way that's fresh and original. Bios: Gilbert Sanchez, who writes the music, was born and raised in San Juan Capistrano, California. He picked up his first guitar at the age of twelve and began playing bass three years later. He sat down to learn piano when he was sixteen. Over the years he has listened to, enjoyed, and played a wide variety of music. Stanfield Major, the word guy, was raised in Eureka, Illinois. He has been writing lyrics for almost forty years and has worked with nearly thirty tunesmiths. He's learned a few things about songwriting in personal interactions with Jack Segal, Alan O'Day, Steve Seskin, and Beth Neilson Chapman. Tim Clark, the man who records all this stuff for posterity whether posterity wants it or not, was born in Middletown, Ohio, and raised in Cave Creek, Arizona. He started playing the guitar around 12 or 13 years old. In 2006 he moved to Dolan Springs with his newly purchased Roland Digital Studio and met Gilbert Sanchez Katherine Stewart, the woman who makes Gilbert and Stanfield's songs actually sound pretty good, was born in Reno, Nevada. She was raised in one of those families where everybody sings, plays an instrument, or does both. Family gatherings became songfests, between bites of beer battered deep fried catfish and home made ice cream.