Bobby Sanders was born Jerome Lenoir, in St. Louis, Missouri. He left St. Louis for New York City as a boy of 11 years old. He ended up living with an aunt in Brooklyn, NY.
He began his career in the music industry in 1955 in New York as a singer/entertainer at the age of eleven with a vocal group called the Schoolboys.
In 1958, Bobby Sanders began his solo singing career with his first album, Lonely Situation, on Mercury Records. In 1959, he joined Little Anthony and the Imperials for a year and a half. Bobby’s friendship and intermittent working relationship with Little Anthony has continued to his death.
By the time he was 17 years old he was producing records.
From New York, Bobby moved to Los Angeles, California, in the early 1960s. he began writing with Gene Pitney. Every Little Breath I Take, released in 1961, was their first collaboration. Later in 1961, Bobby met the now late Marty Melcher, husband of Doris Day and president of Daywin Productions. Melcher gave Bobby the opportunity to write for a group called the Unforgettables. In 1962, the Unforgettables had two great hits, Was It Alright? and Hurt, both written by Bobby Sanders.
Owned and ran Soultown Records. Died September 2007.