Hank Crawford
Encyclopedia
Bennie Ross "Hank" Crawford, Jr. (21 December 1934 – 29 January 2009) was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...

, hard bop
Hard bop
Hard bop is a style of jazz that is an extension of bebop music. Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid-1950s to describe a new current within jazz which incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gospel music, and blues, especially in the saxophone and piano...

, jazz-funk
Jazz-funk
Jazz-funk is a sub-genre of jazz music characterized by a strong back beat , electrified sounds, and often, the presence of the first electronic analog synthesizers...

, soul jazz
Soul jazz
Soul jazz is a development of jazz incorporating strong influences from blues, soul, gospel and rhythm and blues in music for small groups, often an organ trio featuring a Hammond organ.- Overview :Soul jazz is often associated with hard bop. Mark C...

 alto saxophonist, arranger and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...

. Crawford was musical director for Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...

 before embarking on a solo career, during which he released many well-regarded albums for jazz record labels CTI Records
CTI Records
CTI Records was a jazz record label founded in 1967 by producer/A&R manager Creed Taylor. Initially, CTI was a subsidiary of A&M Records, but the label went independent in 1970...

 and then Milestone Records
Milestone Records
Milestone Records is a United States based jazz record label, founded in 1966 by Orrin Keepnews and Dick Katz in New York City. The company was incorporated into Fantasy Records in 1972, since then it has been used for reissues as well as for new recordings....

.

Biography

Crawford was born in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....

. He began formal piano studies at age nine and was soon playing for his church choir. His father had brought an alto saxophone home from the service and when Hank entered Manassas High School, he took it up in order to join the band. He credits Charlie Parker
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....

, Louis Jordan
Louis Jordan
Louis Thomas Jordan was a pioneering American jazz, blues and rhythm & blues musician, songwriter and bandleader who enjoyed his greatest popularity from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as "The King of the Jukebox", Jordan was highly popular with both black and white audiences in the...

, Earl Bostic
Earl Bostic
Earl Bostic was an American jazz and rhythm and blues alto saxophonist, and a pioneer of the post-war American Rhythm and Blues style. He had a number of popular hits such as "Flamingo", "Harlem Nocturne", "Temptation", "Sleep", "Special Delivery Stomp", and "Where or When", which showed off his...

 and Johnny Hodges
Johnny Hodges
John Cornelius "Johnny" Hodges was an American alto saxophonist, best known for his solo work with Duke Ellington's big band. He played lead alto in the saxophone section for many years, except the period between 1932–1946 when Otto Hardwick generally played first chair...

 as early influences.

Crawford appears on an early 1952 Memphis recording for B.B. King with a band including Ben Branch
Ben Branch
Ben F. Branch was an American entrepreneur, jazz tenor saxophonist, and bandleader.Although possibly better known as being one of the last people Martin Luther King Jr spoke to moments before his assassination in 1968, Branch had been a leading bandleader for many years.-Musical career:With his...

 and Ike Turner
Ike Turner
Isaac Wister Turner was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, arranger, talent scout, and record producer. In a career that lasted more than half a century, his repertoire included blues, soul, rock, and funk...

.

In 1958 Crawford went to college at Tennessee State University
Tennessee State University
Tennessee State University is a land-grant university located in Nashville, Tennessee. TSU is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennessee.-History:...

 in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...

. While at TSU, he majored in music studying theory and composition, as well as playing alto and baritone saxophone in the Tennessee State Jazz Collegians. He also led his own rock 'n' roll quartet, "Little Hank and the Rhythm Kings". This is when Crawford met Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...

. They all thought he looked and sounded just like Hank O'Day, a legendary local saxophonist, and that's when they nicknamed him Hank. Charles hired Crawford originally as a baritone saxophonist. Crawford switched to alto in 1959 and remained with Charles' band—becoming its musical director until 1963.

When Crawford left Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...

 in 1963 to form his own septet, he had already established himself with several albums for Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...

. From 1960 until 1970, he recorded twelve LPs for the label, many while balancing his earlier duties as Ray’s director. He released such pre-crossover hits as “Misty”, “The Peeper”, “Skunky Green”, and “Whispering Grass”.

He also has done musical arrangement for Etta James
Etta James
Etta James is an American blues, soul, rhythm and blues , rock and roll, gospel and jazz singer. In the 1950s and 1960s, she had her biggest success as a blues and R&B singer...

, Lou Rawls
Lou Rawls
Louis Allen "Lou" Rawls was an American soul, jazz, and blues singer. He was known for his smooth vocal style: Frank Sinatra once said that Rawls had "the classiest singing and silkiest chops in the singing game"...

, and others. Much of his career has been in R&B, but in the 1970s he had several successful jazz albums with I Hear a Symphony reaching 11 on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

s Jazz albums list and 159 for Pop albums.

David Sanborn
David Sanborn
David Sanborn is an American alto saxophonist. Though Sanborn has worked in many genres, his solo recordings typically blend jazz with instrumental pop and R&B. He released his first solo album Taking Off in 1975, but has been playing the saxophone since before he was in high school...

 cites Crawford as being one of his primary influences. Crawford is recognized by saxophonists as having a particularly unique and pleasing sound. In 1981, he featured, with fellow horn players Ronnie Cuber
Ronnie Cuber
Ronnie Cuber is a jazz saxophonist. He has also played in Latin, pop, rock and blues sessions. In addition to his primary instrument, baritone sax, he has also played tenor sax, soprano sax and flute, the latter on an album by Eddie Palmieri. As a leader, Cuber is known for hard bop and Latin jazz...

 and David Newman
David Newman (jazz musician)
David "Fathead" Newman was an American jazz saxophonist.-Biography:Born in Corsicana, Texas, Newman's professional career as a musician began in 1954 as a member of the Ray Charles Band....

, on B. B. King
B. B. King
Riley B. King , known by the stage name B.B. King, is an American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter.Rolling Stone magazine ranked him at No.3 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. According to Edward M...

's There Must Be a Better World Somewhere
There Must Be a Better World Somewhere
There Must Be a Better World Somewhere is a 1981 album by B. B. King. It was awarded the Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording the following year.-Track listing:# "The Victim" – 6:18# "More, More, More" – 4:39...

.

In 1983 he moved to Milestone Records
Milestone Records
Milestone Records is a United States based jazz record label, founded in 1966 by Orrin Keepnews and Dick Katz in New York City. The company was incorporated into Fantasy Records in 1972, since then it has been used for reissues as well as for new recordings....

 as a premier arranger, soloist, and composer, writing for small bands—that include guitarist Melvin Sparks
Melvin Sparks
Melvin Sparks was an American soul jazz, hard bop and jazz blues guitarist. He recorded a number of albums for Prestige Records, later recording for Savant Records...

, organist Jimmy McGriff
Jimmy McGriff
James Harrell McGriff was an American hard bop and soul-jazz organist and organ trio bandleader who developed a distinctive style of playing the Hammond B-3 organ.-Early years and influences:...

, and Dr. John
Dr. John
Malcolm John "Mac" Rebennack, Jr. , better known by the stage name Dr. John , is an American singer-songwriter, pianist and guitarist, whose music combines blues, pop, jazz as well as Zydeco, boogie woogie and rock and roll.Active as a session musician since the late 1950s, he came to wider...

. In 1986, Crawford began working with blues-jazz organ master Jimmy McGriff
Jimmy McGriff
James Harrell McGriff was an American hard bop and soul-jazz organist and organ trio bandleader who developed a distinctive style of playing the Hammond B-3 organ.-Early years and influences:...

. They recorded four co-leader dates for Milestone Records
Milestone Records
Milestone Records is a United States based jazz record label, founded in 1966 by Orrin Keepnews and Dick Katz in New York City. The company was incorporated into Fantasy Records in 1972, since then it has been used for reissues as well as for new recordings....

: Soul Survivors, Steppin’ Up, On the Blue Side, and Road Tested, and toured together extensively.

The new century found Crawford, shifting gears and going for a more mainstream jazz set in his 2000 release The World of Hank Crawford. Though the songs are compositions from jazz masters such as Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...

 and Tadd Dameron
Tadd Dameron
Tadley Ewing Peake "Tadd" Dameron was an American jazz composer, arranger and pianist. Saxophonist Dexter Gordon called Dameron the "romanticist" of the bop movement, while reviewer Scott Yanow writes that Dameron was the "definitive arranger/composer of the bop era".-Biography:Born in Cleveland,...

, he delivers in that sanctified church sound that is his trademark. Followed by The Best of Hank Crawford and Jimmy McGriff (2001), and Back (2007).

He had two children, Michael A. Crawford and Sherri L. Crawford and a grandchild, Tiffany M. Crawford.

As leader

Year Title Label
1960 More Soul
More Soul
- Personnel :* Hank Crawford – alto saxophone, piano* Leroy "Hog" Cooper – baritone saxophone* Phillip Guilbeau – trumpet* John Hunt – flugelhorn, trumpet* David "Fathead" Newman – tenor saxophone* Milt Turner – drums* Edgar Willis – bass...

Atlantic
1961 The Soul Clinic Atlantic
1962 From the Heart Atlantic
1963 Soul of the Ballad Atlantic
1964 True Blue Atlantic
1965 Dig These Blues Atlantic
1966 After Hours Atlantic
1967 Mr. Blues Atlantic
1968 Double Cross Atlantic
1969 Mr. Blues Plays Lady Soul Atlantic
1971 Help Me Make it Through the Night Kudu/CTI Records
1972 We Got a Good Thing Kudu
1973 Wildflower Kudu
1974 Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing Kudu
1975 I Hear A Symphony Kudu Records
1976 Hank Crawford's Back Kudu Records
1977 Tico Rico Kudu Records
1978 Cajun Sunrise Kudu
1982 Midnight Ramble
Midnight Ramble (album)
Midnight Ramble is a soul-jazz album by saxophonist Hank Crawford. Released in 1982, it was his first recording for Milestone Records.- Track listing :# "Midnight Ramble"# "Forever Mine"# "Theme for Basie"# "Sister C"# "Street of Dreams"...

Milestone Records
Milestone Records
Milestone Records is a United States based jazz record label, founded in 1966 by Orrin Keepnews and Dick Katz in New York City. The company was incorporated into Fantasy Records in 1972, since then it has been used for reissues as well as for new recordings....

1983 Indigo Blue Milestone
1986 Mr. Chips Milestone
1987 Steppin' Up Milestone
1989 Night Beat Milestone
1989 On the Blue Side Milestone
1990 Groove Master Milestone
1990 Bossa International Milestone
1993 South Central Milestone
1996 Tight Milestone
1997 Road Tested Milestone
1998 After Dark Milestone
2000 The World of Hank Crawford Milestone
2001 The Best of Hank Crawford and Jimmy McGriff Milestone
2004 It's a Funky Thing to Do Atlantic
2007 Back King

As sideman

With Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...

  • Ray Charles at Newport
    Ray Charles at Newport
    Ray Charles at Newport is a 1958 live album of Ray Charles' July 5, 1958 performance at the Newport Jazz Festival. All tracks from this album, along with all tracks from his 1959 Herndon Stadium performance in Atlanta, were also released on the 1987 Atlantic compilation, Ray Charles, Live...

     (1958)
  • What'd I Say
    What'd I Say (album)
    What'd I Say is a studio album recorded by Ray Charles in New York City and released in 1959.What'd I Say peaked at #20 on the Billboard "Pop Albums" chart in 1962...

     (1959)
  • Ray Charles in Person
    Ray Charles in Person
    In Person is a live album recorded by Ray Charles on May 28, 1959 on a rainy night in Atlanta, Georgia at Morris Brown College's Herndon Stadium. All tracks from this album together with those from Ray Charles at Newport were also released on the 1987 Atlantic compilation CD, Ray Charles Live.The...

     (1959)
  • Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
    Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
    Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music is a studio album by American R&B and soul musician Ray Charles, released in April 1962 on ABC-Paramount Records. Recording sessions for the album took place in early to mid-February 1962 at Capitol Studios in New York City and at United Recording Studios...

     (1962)

With Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...

  • Journeyman
    Journeyman (album)
    Journeyman is an album by blues/rock musician Eric Clapton, released in 1989.The album has an electronic sound, mostly influenced by the '80s rock scene, but it also had blues songs like "Before You Accuse Me", "Running On Faith", and "Hard Times"...

     (1989)

With Grant Green
Grant Green
Grant Green was a jazz guitarist and composer....

  • Easy
    Easy (Grant Green album)
    Easy is the final album by American jazz guitarist Grant Green featuring performances recorded in 1978, a few months before his death, and released on the Versatile label.-Reception:...

     (1978)

With B.B. King
  • There Must Be a Better World Somewhere
    There Must Be a Better World Somewhere
    There Must Be a Better World Somewhere is a 1981 album by B. B. King. It was awarded the Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording the following year.-Track listing:# "The Victim" – 6:18# "More, More, More" – 4:39...

     (1981)
  • Let the Good Times Roll
    Let the Good Times Roll (album)
    Let the Good Times Roll: The Music of Louis Jordan is a tribute album by blues musician B. B. King. The album is made up entirely of covers of songs by the jazz saxophonist and singer Louis Jordan. It was released in 1999 on MCA Records....

     (1999)

With Janis Siegel
Janis Siegel (singer)
Janis Siegel is a singer with the vocal group The Manhattan Transfer . In 1965 Siegel recorded with a group called Young Generation on Red Bird records. In 1972 the original Manhattan Transfer had disbanded, and founder Tim Hauser re-formed the band with different singers, including Siegel...

  • The Tender Trap (Monarch, 1999)

External links

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