The very popular alto sax player Hank Crawford died on Jan. 29 at age 74 after a long illness. With his church upbringing and roots firmly in R & B, Crawford successfully bridged the gap between R & B and jazz and brought fans together. And I even got to do a live interview with him years ago. He was born Bennie Ross Crawford Jr. Dec. 21, 1934 in Memphis. He grew up playing piano in church. But his truck driver father brought home an alto sax and Hank hung around with guys like Phineas Newborn Jr, Booker Little & George Coleman during high school. Crawford said that Louis Jordan & Earl Bostic were major influences. He backed up visiting musicians in Memphis clubs. In 1958 while attending Tennessee State University in Nashville, Crawford got his big break when he met Ray Charles and would be Charles musical director until he went solo in 1963. For a guy who was around for over 40 years, he didn't record for that many labels. In the 60s, he recorded for Atlantic and moved to Creed Taylor's Kudu label in 1971. He moved to Milestone Records in 1983 and remained there until his final album The World Of Hank Crawford was released in 2000. As I said, I had the opportunity to do a live interview with Hank when I had a jazz radio show at Humber College in 1973. And I got to hang out with him at his gig at the now defunct Colonial Tavern in Toronto. He was a real gentleman and was very kind to me and I always appreciated that. Hank was very popular with fans and other musicians and when BB King recorded his 1999 Louis Jordan tribute CD Let The Good Times Roll, he made sure that Hank got to pay tribute to his musical hero. I recommend Hank's music to newcomers because his music is accessible and will lead you to more challenging music. And you'll enjoy his music even after you get more into jazz. Hank Crawford suffered a stroke in 2000 and has been in poor health until his death last week. He will be missed. Here's Hank Crawford being interviewed by David Sanborn and then performing Don't Cry Baby on the Nighmusic TV show. RIP Hank Crawford.Tuesday, February 03, 2009
RIP Hank Crawford
The very popular alto sax player Hank Crawford died on Jan. 29 at age 74 after a long illness. With his church upbringing and roots firmly in R & B, Crawford successfully bridged the gap between R & B and jazz and brought fans together. And I even got to do a live interview with him years ago. He was born Bennie Ross Crawford Jr. Dec. 21, 1934 in Memphis. He grew up playing piano in church. But his truck driver father brought home an alto sax and Hank hung around with guys like Phineas Newborn Jr, Booker Little & George Coleman during high school. Crawford said that Louis Jordan & Earl Bostic were major influences. He backed up visiting musicians in Memphis clubs. In 1958 while attending Tennessee State University in Nashville, Crawford got his big break when he met Ray Charles and would be Charles musical director until he went solo in 1963. For a guy who was around for over 40 years, he didn't record for that many labels. In the 60s, he recorded for Atlantic and moved to Creed Taylor's Kudu label in 1971. He moved to Milestone Records in 1983 and remained there until his final album The World Of Hank Crawford was released in 2000. As I said, I had the opportunity to do a live interview with Hank when I had a jazz radio show at Humber College in 1973. And I got to hang out with him at his gig at the now defunct Colonial Tavern in Toronto. He was a real gentleman and was very kind to me and I always appreciated that. Hank was very popular with fans and other musicians and when BB King recorded his 1999 Louis Jordan tribute CD Let The Good Times Roll, he made sure that Hank got to pay tribute to his musical hero. I recommend Hank's music to newcomers because his music is accessible and will lead you to more challenging music. And you'll enjoy his music even after you get more into jazz. Hank Crawford suffered a stroke in 2000 and has been in poor health until his death last week. He will be missed. Here's Hank Crawford being interviewed by David Sanborn and then performing Don't Cry Baby on the Nighmusic TV show. RIP Hank Crawford.
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