Baker Sound Studios

Baker Sound is deeply saddened by the passing of voice legend Scott Sanders. The most prolific voice artist of his generation, Scott was a fixture in our studios throughout the 80s, 90s, and 2000s, regularly spending entire days here bouncing between sessions. Though not the typical deep-voiced announcer, Scott learned to adjust his voice and delivery to bring the perfect tone, emphasis, and inflection to every word of a script. A gifted storyteller, he knew how to draw in listeners and could do so in any role: as an announcer he could range from dramatic to heartfelt, yet he could just as easily play a friendly dad or bumbling boss. He had a knack for creating characters, and his keen sense of humor and improvisatory skill enabled him to bring more to a script than even its writers had imagined. Voiceover artist Dennis Steele recalls that “between takes, [Scott] would ‘try on’ voices; it was like watching a magician pull a succession of rabbits out of a hat.”

This versatility enabled Scott to become the most widely heard voice in the Philadelphia market for over 30 years. He appeared in so many spots locally, regionally, and nationally that he was more than once recognized as the most recorded AFTRA voice in the country. During the 90s he was heard daily in dramatic KYW-TV news promos, as well as in countless comedic radio spots for the Philadelphia Inquirer. And while he was best known nationally as the voice of Cartoon Network, his greatest impact was on political advertising. He recorded thousands of “politicals” in his career; during an election cycle it was rare to go ten minutes without hearing his voice on radio or TV. He was best known for “attack ads,” which he read so that every accusation dripped with venom. Rather than shouting, he created intensity by moving close to the mic and delivering each line with a quiet-yet-acerbic urgency. His approach is often imitated (but rarely equaled) by political announcers to this day.

But the best times with Scott came between sessions. In the days before remote recording there would always be a mix of voice talent, producers, and engineers hanging around our lounge areas sharing “war stories,” cracking jokes, and catching up. Scott was always at the center of the action. One minute he’d be complaining about a producer who made him do fifty takes before deciding to use the first, the next he’d have everyone rolling on the floor with his spot-on impersonation of Harry Kalas (including Harry himself, who counted Scott among his friends). Dave Blazek, writer and producer of numerous award-winning Inquirer spots that featured Scott, admits that he “always built in an extra 15 minutes or so to sit on the couches at Baker and 'warm up' the talent . . . but really, I was just there for the laughs.”

Scott could be moody on any given day, ranging from silly to cantankerous. But he was always a consummate professional: punctual, prepared, and ready to do whatever it took to make the spot work. He was smart and focused and had little patience for producers and engineers who didn’t “get it.” When a new engineer arrived at Baker, they weren’t fully part of the team until they had earned Scott’s seal of approval. Once they did, they had a friend for life. Baker President Rick DiDonato remembers that “there was a baptism by fire with Scott, for sure. But he soon became a friend and mentor. I’ll never forget just sitting and talking to him for hours about pretty much everything.” In-house composer Chuck Butler had a similar experience. “When I started at Baker in 1987, Scott was the king of the voice talent. We hit it off, and before long I was getting calls from new clients who’d heard about me from him. He was generous that way; he wanted to see his friends succeed.”

This is a constant theme among Scott’s friends and colleagues. Dennis Steele speaks for many when he credits Scott as “one of a handful of people to whom I owe my career.” There has not been a more respected and influential figure in the Philadelphia production community over the past 40 years. And here at Baker Sound, Scott was family. We worked long hours together, we ate together, we laughed and cried, we celebrated victories and mourned defeats, we bi***ed and moaned and came back to do it all again the next day in service of this work that we love. Scott would surely say that the best way to honor him is to continue doing great work—and that is exactly what we intend to do. We know that somewhere he’ll be listening and cheering us on.