Famous Jazz Player Wilton Felder Passes Away
Wilton Felder was a multi-instrumentalist, session player, producer and an industry trailblazer, who co-founded the legendary & GRAMMY nominated group the Jazz Crusaders along with Joe Sample, Wayne Henderson, Nesbert “Stix” Hooper. He died peacefully at his home in Whittier, California on September 27, 2015, surrounded by his beloved family.
Wilton Felder was born on August 31, 1940 in Houston, Texas. The Jazz Crusaders evolved from a straight-ahead jazz combo into a pioneering jazz-rock fusion group, with a definite soul music influence. Felder worked with the original group for over thirty years, and continued to work in its late versions, which often featured other founding members. The group is known for their work on When We Were Kings 1996), Patty Hearst (1988) and Shaft’s Big Score! (1972).
The huge success of the band happened 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, Africa in 1974 between Muhammad Ali and Houstonian George Foreman.
In the mid-70’s 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. He played on recordings by the Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye and Grant Green among others. His solo album, Secrets reached No. 77 in the UK Albums Chart in 1985 and featured vocals by Bobby Womack, and the single “No Matter How High I Get (I’ll Always Be Looking Up at You)” became a hit. Felder also performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Milt Jackson, Joni Mitchell, Billy Joel, Richard “Groove” Holmes and Jimmy Smith. In addition, he 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, Joan Baez’s Diamonds and Rust and John Cale’s Paris 1919 albums. 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 musical talent and innovative spirit earned him along with the Jazz Crusaders GRAMMY® nominations for Best Album Cover, The Jazz Crusaders, Talk that Talk (1967); Best R & B Performance- “Inherit the Wind” featuring Bobby Womack (1981) and Best Contemporary Jazz Album, The Crusaders, Album Rural Renewal (2004) as well as tremendous respect within the jazz community and beyond. The musical industry has lost a gifted and cherished musician.
Source: Wilton Felder Jr.
