The Crusaders (jazz fusion group)

Lore & Background

The group originated in 1954 when high school friends Joe Sample, Wilton Felder, and Nesbert 'Stix' Hooper formed the Swingsters at Wheatley High School in Houston, Texas. While studying at Texas Southern University, they played a mix of jazz and R&B, adding Wayne Henderson, Hubert Laws, and Henry Wilson. They renamed themselves the Modern Jazz Sextet and also recorded as the Nighthawks. In 1960, Sample, Felder, Hooper, and Henderson moved to Los Angeles and formed the Jazz Crusaders as a quintet. They signed to Pacific Jazz in 1961 and released 16 albums over eight years, with a sound rooted in hard bop but leaning toward R&B and soul. Their first Hot 100 entry was 'Young Rabbits' in 1968. The group renamed to the Crusaders in 1971 to broaden their appeal. They signed with Blue Thumb Records in 1972 and increasingly adopted a jazz-funk style, incorporating electric guitar and bass. Guitarist Larry Carlton joined in the early 1970s. Henderson left in 1975 to become a record producer. The group's commercial peak came with the 1979 album Street Life, featuring Randy Crawford, which reached No. 18 on the pop album chart and No. 5 in the UK. Hooper left in 1983, and though Sample and Felder continued, commercial success diminished. Felder and Henderson reunited in the mid-1990s as the Crusaders, and Sample and Felder reunited again in 2003. Wayne Henderson died in 2014, Joe Sample in 2014, and Wilton Felder in 2015.

Reader's Guide

The Crusaders were significant for bridging hard bop, R&B, and jazz-funk, achieving crossover commercial success in the 1970s while maintaining a distinctive horn-driven sound. Their nine Grammy nominations reflect industry recognition, though they never won. The group's evolution from the Jazz Crusaders to the Crusaders marked a strategic shift toward broader appeal, exemplified by hits like 'Put It Where You Want It' and the album Street Life. Their legacy includes influencing later jazz-funk and fusion artists, and their recordings remain touchstones for the genre. Despite critical notes of decline after the early 1970s, their body of work—spanning over 30 albums—demonstrates sustained creativity and adaptability. The group's core members also contributed as session musicians for major artists, further embedding their sound in popular music. Their final reunion in 2003 and continued activity until 2010 underscore their enduring relevance.

Did You Know?

• The group originally formed as the Swingsters at Wheatley High School in Houston in 1954.
• They renamed from the Jazz Crusaders to the Crusaders in 1971 to avoid limiting their audience.
• Their most commercially successful album, Street Life (1979), featured singer Randy Crawford and reached No. 5 in the UK.
• Three of the original core members—Wayne Henderson, Joe Sample, and Wilton Felder—died within a span of 18 months in 2014–2015, while Stix Hooper remains alive.

From Houston High School to the Pacific Coast

Joe Sample, Wilton Felder, and Nesbert "Stix" Hooper first picked up their instruments as teenagers at Wheatley High School in Houston, Texas, where in 1954 they assembled a group called the Swingsters. Their musical education continued at Texas Southern University, where the trio blended jazz with R&B and attracted additional players, including trombonist Wayne Henderson, flutist Hubert Laws, and bassist Henry Wilson. The ensemble pivoted toward hard bop and rebranded as the Modern Jazz Sextet, while simultaneously cutting R&B-oriented records under the name Nighthawks. In 1960, Sample, Felder, Hooper, and Henderson relocated to Los Angeles and crystallized their identity as the Jazz Crusaders, a quintet that cycled through several bassists. Drawing inspiration from Cannonball Adderley, Art Blakey, and John Coltrane, the group signed with Pacific Jazz in 1961 and would go on to release sixteen albums over the next eight years. Their twin-horn front line of Felder and Henderson gave the band a hard-bop foundation laced with unmistakable R&B and soul inflections.

Shifting Gears: From Hard Bop to Jazz-Funk

During their Pacific Jazz tenure the Crusaders anchored their sound in hard bop while consistently reaching into R&B and soul territory. They documented their live energy with five concert albums in the 1960s, four of them captured at the Lighthouse Café in Hermosa Beach. Their 1966 rendition of Stevie Wonder's "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" cracked the Hot 100 at number 95, and the 1969 studio set Powerhouse became their first entry on the Billboard 200, landing at number 184. After signing with Chisa, a label co-owned by trumpeter Hugh Masekela and producer Stewart Levine, the group released Old Socks, New Shoes in 1970, which reached number 90. That same year the band made a deliberate strategic choice: dropping "Jazz" from their name so the label would not constrain their sonic range or audience. Under the simpler moniker "the Crusaders," they moved to Blue Thumb Records in 1972 and progressively embraced a jazz-funk vocabulary. Electric guitar and bass entered their live and studio palette, Sample leaned on his electric piano and clavinet, and guitarist Larry Carlton contributed on several early-1970s recordings. Bass duties rotated among Felder himself, Max Bennett, and later Robert "Pops" Popwell.

Crossover Triumphs and the Late-1970s Peak

The Crusaders' commercial trajectory accelerated through the 1970s. Their 1972 single "Put It Where You Want It" reached number 52 on the pop chart and was subsequently covered by the Average White Band in 1973. A string of Blue Thumb albums followed, each charting solidly: The 2nd Crusade at number 45 (1973), Southern Comfort at number 31 (1974, featuring "Stomp and Buck Dance"), Chain Reaction at number 26 (1975), Those Southern Knights at number 38 (1976), and Images at number 34 (1978). The apex arrived with 1979's Street Life, which featured vocalist Randy Crawford. The album peaked at number 18 on the pop chart, while the title track climbed to the top ten on the R&B chart, reached number 36 on the Hot 100, and hit number 5 in the United Kingdom. Subsequent releases brought in singers Bill Withers and Joe Cocker, and the 1982 live recording Royal Jam showcased collaborations with guitarist B. B. King, bassist James Jamerson, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. After Hooper departed in 1983, Felder and Sample carried the group through the 1980s, though their commercial momentum gradually faded. Across their career the band accumulated nine Grammy nominations.

Final Chapters and Enduring Footprint

Beyond their own recordings, the Crusaders' members left a deep imprint on the broader music landscape. Henderson departed in 1975 to pursue a career as a record producer, and the remaining musicians increasingly took on session work with a wide roster of artists, including the Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye, Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan, and Randy Newman. The group's story did not end with that era. Felder and Henderson reassembled the Crusaders in the mid-1990s, while Henderson also fronted a separate ensemble billed as the Jazz Crusaders that included Felder and Carlton. Felder and Sample later reunited as the Crusaders in 2003, keeping the name alive into the 2010s. The final curtain fell within a single year: Wayne Henderson passed away 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. Their collective body of work—spanning hard bop, R&B, jazz-rock, blues, and jazz-funk—remains a testament to a group that refused to be confined by a single genre.