The Crusaders (formerly known as The Jazz Crusaders) were an American jazz/jazz fusion group performing from the 1960s to 2010. Known firstly from their 1960 inception as the Jazz Crusaders they eventually renamed themselves in 1971 to simply the Crusaders. A wide range of genres such as Jazz, R&B, Jazz-rock, the Blues and Jazz-funk are cohesively featured on the group's albums. The Crusaders have also copped a total of nine Grammy nominations. (tenor saxophone) and Nesbert "Stix" Hooper (drums) formed their first band together, the Swingsters, at Wheatley High School in Houston, Texas in 1954. While studying at Texas Southern University, they played a mixture of jazz and R&B, and were joined by Wayne Henderson (trombone), Hubert Laws (flute), and Henry Wilson (bass). The group soon turned more to hard bop, and renamed themselves the Modern Jazz Sextet, but also recorded in a more R&B vein as the Nighthawks (or Nite Hawks).
In 1960, Sample, Felder, Hooper and Henderson moved to Los Angeles and formed the Jazz Crusaders as a quintet with a succession of different bass players. Influenced by musicians such as Cannonball Adderley, Art Blakey and John Coltrane, the first of several albums with bassist Bobby Haynes. In all, the group recorded five live albums in the 1960s, four of which were recorded at the Lighthouse Café in Hermosa Beach. They also had their first chart entry, their treatment of Stevie Wonder's "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" reaching No. 95 on the Hot 100 in 1966. The group's 1969 album, Powerhouse, was their first to reach the Billboard 200 album chart, reaching No. 184, and was also their last studio album for Pacific Jazz.
The group then signed with the Chisa label, co-owned by trumpeter Hugh Masekela and producer Stewart Levine. Their 1970 album Old Socks, New Shoes reached No. 90 on the album chart, and was their last as the Jazz Crusaders. The decision was taken to call the group simply the Crusaders, so as not to limit their scope and potential audience. After a second album with Chisa, (Pass the Plate, 1971), and one album for the MoWest label (Hollywood, 1972) they signed with Blue Thumb Records, where they remained until the late 1970s. The Crusaders released the album Crusaders 1 in 1972, including "Put It Where You Want It", covered by the Average White Band in 1973. Their recordings increasingly adopted a jazz-funk style. They incorporated electric guitar and bass into their shows and recordings, as well as using Sample's electric piano and clavinet. Chain Reaction (No. 26 album, 1975), Those Southern Knights (No. 38 album, 1976), and Images (No. 34 album, 1978). Later albums by the group featured singers Bill Withers and Joe Cocker. The live 1982 album Royal Jam featured guitarist B. B. King, bassist James Jamerson, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Hooper left in 1983, and though Felder and Sample kept the group operating through the 1980s, the group's commercial success diminished.
Felder and Henderson reunited in the mid-1990s as the Crusaders.
Wayne Henderson died in Culver City, California on April 5, 2014; Joe Sample died in Houston, Texas on September 12, 2014; and Wilton Felder died in Whittier, California on September 27, 2015.
Accolades
Grammy awards
The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. The Crusaders have received a total of nine nominations.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Category
! Nominated work
! Result
|-
|1972
|Best R&B Instrumental Performance
|Crusaders I
|
|-
|1973
|Best R&B Instrumental Performance
|2nd Crusade
|
|-
|1974
|Best R&B Instrumental Performance
|"Scratch (Album)"
|
|-
|1976
|Best R&B Instrumental Performance
|"Keep That Same Old Feeling (Album)"
|
|-
|1978
|Best R&B Instrumental Performance
|"Images"
|
|-
|1981
|Best Inspirational Performance
|I'm So Glad I'm Standing Here Today
|
|-
|1982
|Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal
|Street Life (Track)
|
|-
|1984
|Best R&B Instrumental Performance
|"Ghetto Blaster"
|
|-
|2003
|Best Contemporary Jazz Album
|"Rural Renewal"
|
|-
|}
Discography
As the Jazz Crusaders
- Freedom Sound (Pacific Jazz, 1961)
- Lookin' Ahead (Pacific Jazz, 1962)
- The Jazz Crusaders at the Lighthouse (Pacific Jazz, 1962)
- Tough Talk (Pacific Jazz, 1963)
- Heat Wave (Pacific Jazz, 1963)
- Jazz Waltz with Les McCann (Pacific Jazz, 1963)
- Stretchin' Out (Pacific Jazz, 1964)
- The Thing (Pacific Jazz, 1965)
- Chile Con Soul (Pacific Jazz, 1965)
- Live at the Lighthouse '66 (Pacific Jazz, 1966)
- Talk That Talk (Pacific Jazz, 1966)
- The Festival Album (Pacific Jazz, 1966)
- Uh Huh (Pacific Jazz, 1967)
- Lighthouse '68 (Pacific Jazz, 1968)
- Powerhouse (Pacific Jazz, 1969)
- Lighthouse '69 (Pacific Jazz, 1969)
- Give Peace a Chance (Liberty, 1970)
- Old Socks New Shoes – New Socks Old Shoes (Chisa, 1970)
Source:
As the Crusaders
- Pass the Plate (Chisa, 1971) – No. 168 US
- Hollywood (MoWest, 1972)
- Crusaders 1 (Blue Thumb, 1972) – No. 96 US