Wilton Felder
| Wilton Felder | |
|---|---|
 Wilton Felder in 1978 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Wilton Lewis Felder |
| Born |
August 31, 1940 Houston, Texas, United States |
| Died | September 27, 2015 (aged 75) |
| Genres | Jazz, R&B |
| Instruments | Saxophone, bass |
| Years active | Late 1950s–2015 |
| Associated acts | The Crusaders |
| Notable instruments | |
| Saxophone, Bass | |
Wilton Lewis Felder (August 31, 1940 – September 27, 2015) was an American saxophone and bass player, and is best known as a founding member of The Jazz Crusaders, later known as The Crusaders.
Biography
He was born in Houston, Texas, in 1940.[1] Felder, Wayne Henderson, Joe Sample, and Stix Hooper founded the group while in high school in Houston. 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 later versions, which often featured other founding members.
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 up operations in Los Angeles in the early 1970s. He played on recordings by The Jackson 5 such as "I Want You Back" and "The Love You Save", as well as for Marvin Gaye and Grant Green. He also played bass for soft rock groups like Seals and Crofts. Also of note was his contribution to the John Cale album, Paris 1919, 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 Joni Mitchell and Michael Franks.
His solo album, Secrets, which prominently featured Bobby Womack on vocals, reached No. 77 in the UK Albums Chart in 1985.[2] This album featured the minor hit, "(No Matter How High I Get) I'll Still be Looking Up to You", sung by Womack and Alltrinna Grayson.
Felder played a King Super 20 tenor sax with a metal 105/0 Berg Larsen mouthpiece. He also used Yamaha saxes. He played a Fender Precision bass, and also played Aria bass guitars.
He died on September 27, 2015, aged 75.[3]
Discography
Solo
With The (Jazz) Crusaders
|
With John Cale
With Michael Franks
With Dizzy Gillespie
With Grant Green
With Milt Jackson
With John Klemmer
With Charles Kynard
With Carmen McRae
With Joni Mitchell
With Shuggie Otis
With Seals & Crofts
With Jimmy Smith
With Gerald Wilson
With Hugh Masekela
|
References
External links
- Wilton Felder at the Internet Movie Database
- Allmusic
- Article
- Wilton Felder's isolated bass parts on Jackson 5 hits
|