Wilton Felder obit

Legendary Crusaders Sax Man Wilton Felder Passes Away

 

He was not on the list.

Houston and the world lost a giant today with the passing of Wilton Felder, saxophonist for the fabled Crusaders. Mr. Felder was 75. Word of his passing reached the Internet via longtime collaborator Ray Parker, Jr.’s Facebook page around 2 p.m. today.

Felder’s passing comes only a year after the death of his lifelong friend and fellow Crusader Joe Sample. Crusaders trombonist Wayne Henderson died in April, 2014, which now leaves drummer Nesbert “Stix” Hooper as the only living Crusader from the original four. Felder, Sample, and Hooper met early in life and formed their first band while attending Phillis Wheatley High School in the Fifth War. They added Henderson and took the name Jazz Crusaders while attending Texas Southern University, but they left school without graduating in 1959 and moved to Los Angeles. They quickly made a name for themselves in the West Coast bebop scene and recorded ten albums in the hard bop style of the day..

But the huge success of the band would wait ten years until 1971 when they dropped one of the first jazz-rock records to cross over into popular music culture, Pass the Plate. Pass the Plate put them on everyone’s radar; they received letters from the Beatles — they famously covered "Eleanor Rigby" —  and garnered a slot opening for a Rolling Stones tour. They also were one of the headliners at the Rumble in the Jungle heavyweight championship fight  in Zaire in 1974 between Muhammad Ali and Houstonian George Foreman.

But by the mid-70s, the individual members of the Crusaders had moved outside the band to work as session musicians and as producers. Felder became a house bass player for Motown’s West Coast studio operation, but he also worked with a number of pop acts like America and Seals & Croft. He was one of three bassists on Randy Newman’s milestone album Sail Away. He also played on Billy Joel’s Piano Man and Streetlife Serenade albums, Joan Baez’s Diamonds and Rust, and John Cale’s Paris 1919.

Felder recorded his debut solo album, Bullitt, in 1970, and followed with We All Have a Star in 1978. He would go on to release seven more albums. His 1985 album Secrets, with Bobby Womack as primary vocalist, made it into the UK Albums chart and the single “No Matter How High I Get (I’ll Always Be Looking Up at You)” became a minor hit.

Felder also worked as a West Coast studio musician, mostly playing electric bass, for various soul and R&B musicians, and was one of the in-house bass players for Motown Records, when the record label opened operations in Los Angeles in the early 1970s. He played on recordings by the Jackson 5 such as "I Want You Back", "ABC" and "The Love You Save", as well as recordings by Marvin Gaye including "Let's Get It On" and "I Want You". He also played bass for soft rock groups like Seals and Crofts. Also of note were his contributions to the John Cale album Paris 1919, Steely Dan's Pretzel Logic (1974), and Billy Joel's Piano Man and Streetlife Serenade albums. He was one of three bass players on Randy Newman's Sail Away (1972) and Joan Baez' Diamonds & Rust. Felder also anchored albums from Grant Green, Joni Mitchell and Michael Franks. Felder released the album "Inherit the Wind" with Bobby Womack in 1980.

 

Discography

As leader/co-leader

Bullitt (Pacific Jazz, 1969)

We All Have a Star (MCA, 1978)

Inherit the Wind (MCA, 1980)

Gentle Fire (MCA, 1983)

Secrets (MCA, 1985)

Love Is a Rush (MCA, 1987)

Nocturnal Moods (PAR, 1991)

Forever, Always (PAR, 1992)

Lets Spend Some Time (BCS, 2005)

With 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 (Pacific Jazz, 1963) with Les McCann

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)

As sideman

With Donald Byrd

 

Ethiopian Knights (Blue Note, 1972)

With Joan Baez

 

Diamonds & Rust (A&M, 1975)

Blowin' Away (Portrait, 1977)

With John Cale

 

Paris 1919 (Reprise, 1972)

With Michael Franks

 

The Art of Tea (Reprise, 1976)

Sleeping Gypsy (Warner Bros., 1977)

With Dizzy Gillespie

 

Free Ride (Pablo, 1977) composed and arranged by Lalo Schifrin

With Grant Green

 

Shades of Green (Blue Note, 1971)

Live at The Lighthouse (Blue Note, 1972)

With Richard "Groove" Holmes

 

Welcome Home (Pacific Jazz, 1968)

With Harry Nilsson

 

Flash Harry (Mercury, 1980)

With Marvin Gaye

 

Let's Get It On (Tamla, 1973)

I Want You (Motown, 1976)

With Matraca Berg

 

The Speed of Grace (MCA, 1994)

With Paul Anka

 

The Painter (United Artists, 1976)

With Solomon Burke

 

Electronic Magnetism (MGM, 1971)

With Donovan

 

Slow Down World (Epic, 1976)

Lady of the Stars (RCA, 1984)

With Jackson Browne

 

For Everyman (Asylum, 1973)

With Jennifer Warnes

 

Jennifer (Reprise, 1972)

With Milt Jackson

 

Memphis Jackson (Impulse!, 1969)

With Tina Turner

 

Private Dancer (Capitol, 1984)

With John Klemmer

 

Constant Throb (Impulse!, 1971)

Waterfalls (Impulse!, 1972)

Magic and Movement (Impulse!, 1974)

With Charles Kynard

 

Reelin' with the Feelin' (Prestige, 1969)

With Minnie Riperton

 

Stay in Love (Epic, 1977)

With Ringo Starr

 

Stop and Smell the Roses (RCA, 1981)

With Carmen McRae

 

Can't Hide Love (Blue Note, 1976)

With Billy Joel

 

Piano Man (Columbia, 1973)

Streetlife Serenade (Columbia, 1974)

With Randy Crawford

 

Now We May Begin (Warner Bros., 1980)

With Joni Mitchell

 

For the Roses (Asylum, 1972)

Court and Spark (Asylum, 1974)

The Hissing of Summer Lawns (Asylum, 1975)

With B.B. King

 

Midnight Believer (ABC, 1978)

Take It Home (ABC, 1979)

With Wendy Waldman

 

Love Has Got Me (Warner Bros., 1973)

With Randy Newman

 

Sail Away (Reprise, 1972)

With Shuggie Otis

 

Here Comes Shuggie Otis (Epic, 1970)

Freedom Flight (Epic, 1971)

With Dusty Springfield

 

Cameo (ABC, 1973)

With Jean-Luc Ponty

 

King Kong: Jean-Luc Ponty Plays the Music of Frank Zappa (World Pacific/Liberty, 1970)

With Seals & Crofts

 

Summer Breeze (Warner Bros., 1972)

Diamond Girl (Warner Bros., 1973)

I'll Play for You (Warner Bros., 1975)

Get Closer (Warner Bros., 1976)

Sudan Village (Warner Bros., 1976)

With Jimmy Smith

 

Root Down (Verve, 1972)

With Steely Dan

 

Pretzel Logic (ABC, 1974)

Katy Lied (ABC, 1975)

With Gerald Wilson

 

California Soul (Pacific Jazz, 1968)

With Hugh Masekela

 

Reconstruction (Chisa, 1970)