The Crusaders

American jazz group formed in Los Angeles in 1960. Houston Texas school friends Wilton Felder (tenor sax, bass), Nesbert "Stix" Hooper (percussion) and Joe Sample (keyboards) playing together in a high school marching band, forming the Swingsters in 1954. While attending Texas Southern University, they met Wayne Henderson (trombone) and with two others formed the Modern Jazz Sextet. 1958 saw the future Jazz Crusaders Sample, Felder, Hooper and Henderson drop out of college and move to Los Angeles, where they performed as The Nite Hawks. In 1960, they returned to jazz and formed the Jazz Crusaders as a quintet with a succession of different bass players, landing a contract with World Pacific Jazz in 1961. As the 1960s progressed their hard bop stylings evolved with the times incorporating more of a soul-jazz feeling. Shortening their name to The Crusaders in 1971, most of the 1970's saw them with Blue Thumb Records, by which time they had become even funkier utilizing the guitar vamps of new member Larry Carlton. Their best-known hit “Street Life” was responsible for bringing guest vocalist Randy Crawford to the public attention. The group is perhaps best remembered as backing musicians on more the 200 gold records, backing Steely Dan, Curtis Mayfield, Joni Mitchell, Ray Charles, & Van Morrison to name a few.