The Crusaders

The Crusaders on vinyl: from hard bop to jazz-funk

In short: Wilton Felder, Joe Sample, Wayne Henderson and Stix Hooper came from Houston and, from the early sixties in Los Angeles, made soul jazz with trombone and tenor saxophone as The Jazz Crusaders. In 1971 they dropped the “Jazz” from their name and became known for jazz-funk and soul – up to the hit “Street Life”. The Vinyl Room currently has 9 Crusaders records.

What makes The Crusaders special?

The sound of trombone and tenor saxophone was unusual and unmistakable. On Pacific Jazz they made “Freedom Sound”, “Lookin’ Ahead”, “At The Lighthouse” – live from the well-known club in Hermosa Beach –, “Heat Wave” and “Powerhouse”, plus “Jazz Waltz” with Les McCann.

In the seventies it got funkier: “Crusaders 1” on Blue Thumb stands for the new start, “Images” for the later soul-jazz-funk. Joe Sample and Wilton Felder became sought-after session musicians along the way.

From our stock

First pressings

Records by the Crusaders

→ Pacific Jazz · Les McCann · Soul jazz · Jazz on vinyl

FAQ

Are The Jazz Crusaders and The Crusaders the same band? Yes – in 1971 they shortened their name to The Crusaders.

Who played in the Crusaders? The founders Wilton Felder, Joe Sample, Wayne Henderson and Stix Hooper.

What is “Street Life”? Their big 1979 hit with singer Randy Crawford.

Which records do you have? Mainly the sixties Pacific Jazz albums – 9 records in all.