1) The Crusaders were… Read Full Bio ↴There are several artists named The Crusaders;
1) The Crusaders were an American jazz fusion group that was successful from the 1960s to the 1980s. The group was known as The Jazz Crusaders from its formation in 1960 until shortening its name in 1971.
High school friends Joe Sample (piano), Wilton Felder (tenor saxophone) and Nesbert "Stix" Hooper (drums) formed their first band together, the Swingsters, in Houston, Texas in 1954. They played a mixture of jazz and R&B, and were joined by Wayne Henderson (trombone), Hubert Laws (flute), and Henry Wilson (bass). The group soon turned more to hard bop, and renamed themselves the Modern Jazz Sextet, but also recorded in a more R&B vein as the Nighthawks (or Nite Hawks).
In 1960, Sample, Felder, Hooper and Henderson moved to Los Angeles, and formed the Jazz Crusaders as a quintet with a succession of different bass players. Influenced by musicians such as Cannonball Adderley, Art Blakey and John Coltrane, the band signed to the Pacific Jazz label in 1961, and released 16 albums on the label over the subsequent eight years. With a front-line horn section of Felder and Henderson, the group's sound was rooted in hard bop, but with a slant towards R&B and soul music.
Their first two albums, with Jimmy Bond on bass, were Freedom Sound (1961), and Lookin' Ahead (1962), followed by the live album At the Lighthouse (1962) and Tough Talk, the first of several albums with bassist Bobby Haynes. In all, the group recorded five live albums in the 1960s, four of which were recorded at the Lighthouse Café in Hermosa Beach. They also had their first chart entry, their treatment of Stevie Wonder's "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" reaching No.95 on the Hot 100 in 1966. The group's 1969 album, Powerhouse, was their first to reach the Billboard 200 album chart, reaching No. 184, and was also their last studio album for Pacific Jazz.
The group then signed with the Chisa label, co-owned by trumpeter Hugh Masekela and producer Stewart Levine. Their 1970 album Old Socks, New Shoes reached No. 90 on the album chart, and was their last as the Jazz Crusaders. The decision was taken to call the group simply the Crusaders, so as not to limit their scope and potential audience. After a second album with Chisa, (Pass the Plate, 1971), and one album for the MoWest label (Hollywood, 1972) they signed with Blue Thumb Records, where they remained until the late 1970s. Their recordings increasingly adopted a jazz-funk style. They incorporated electric guitar and bass into their shows and recordings, as well as using Sample's electric piano and clavinet. Guitarist Larry Carlton joined, and featured on their albums in the early part of the decade. Bass duties were often handled by Felder, though Robert "Pops" Popwell joined later in the decade.
According to jazz critic Scott Yanow at Allmusic, however, "after a few excellent albums during the early part of the decade... the group began to decline in quality." Sample later commented that the group was under commercial pressure from record companies to record jazzed-up versions of contemporary popular songs. Henderson left to become a record producer in 1975, and the other musicians regularly and increasingly worked as session musicians with artists such as the Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye, Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan, and Randy Newman. With a growing crossover appeal, the group's most commercially successful recordings included the single "Put It Where You Want It" (No.52 pop, 1972), and the albums The 2nd Crusade (No.45 album, 1973), Southern Comfort (No.31 album, 1974), Chain Reaction (No.26 album, 1975), Those Southern Knights (No.38 album, 1976), and Images (No.34 album, 1978).
The peak of the group's commercial success came with 1979's Street Life, with Randy Crawford as featured singer. The album peaked at No. 18 on the pop album charts and the title track made the Top 10 on the R&B chart, No. 36 on Billboard′s Hot 100 chart, and No.5 in the UK. Later albums by the group featured singers Bill Withers and Joe Cocker. The live 1982 album Royal Jam featured guitarist B. B. King, bassist James Jamerson, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Hooper left in 1983, and though Felder and Sample kept the group operating through the 1980s, the group's commercial success diminished.
Felder and Henderson reunited in the mid-1990s as the Crusaders. Henderson later led a band called the Jazz Crusaders, in which Felder and Carlton also played, and Felder and Sample reunited as the Crusaders in 2003.
Wayne Henderson died on April 5, 2014. Joe Sample died in Houston on September 12, 2014. Wilton Felder died on September 27, 2015.
2) a European Oi band.
3) an Australian garage surf band who recorded two albums in the late 1990s.
4) a Christian garage band active 1966-67.
Soul Shadows
The Crusaders Lyrics
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Don't know if I'm waking or I'm dreaming
Riding with Fats Waller on the Super Chief
He said, musics real, the rest is seeming
Oh, he played
A feeling that won't go away
Left a sound of his soul in the air
And I know
He left those soul shadows
On my mind, on my mind, on my mind
He left a soul shadow
On my mind, on my mind, on my mind
Standing by the window as a fog rolls in
I swear I can hear a far-off music
Jelly Roll is playing down in Storyville
Satchmo wailing somewhere in Chicago
Coltrane reaching for the notes his mind can hear
They remain a part of all that I know
Oh, they played
A feeling that won't go away
Left a sound of their souls in the air
I can hear it up there
And I know
They left them soul shadows
On my mind, on my mind, on my mind
They left a soul shadow
On my mind, on my mind, on my mind
Oh, they played
A feeling that won't go away
Left a sound of their souls in the air
I can hear it up there
And I know
Soul shadow
On my mind, on my mind, on my mind
Soul shadow
On my mind, on my mind, on my mind
Standing by the window as a fog rolls in
I swear I can hear a far-off music
Jelly Roll is playing down in Storyville
And Satchmo wailing somewhere in Chicago
You oughta hear them play
Feelings that won't go away
Left a sound of their souls in the air
I hear up there
And I know
They left them soul shadows
All on my mind, on my mind, all on my mind
They left them soul shadows
All on my mind, on my mind
The Crusaders’s song Soul Shadows is a tribute to the jazz legends who influenced and inspired the band members. The lyrics describe waking up to a cold San Francisco morning and feeling the presence of jazz greats Fats Waller, Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong, and John Coltrane. The song celebrates the enduring legacy of these musicians and their ability to leave “soul shadows” that continue to influence and inspire long after they are gone.
The opening lines of the song are ambiguous, and the singer is unsure if they are waking or dreaming. This sets the stage for the metaphysical theme of the song - the idea that the music of these jazz greats transcends time and space, leaving an indelible imprint on the present. The lines “He said, musics real, the rest is seeming” emphasize the emotional and spiritual power of music, suggesting that it is more than just a collection of notes and sounds.
The repeated phrase “on my mind” highlights the lingering impact of these jazz legends on the singer’s consciousness. Ultimately, the song pays homage to the transformative and enduring legacy of jazz music, a legacy that lives on in the “soul shadows” of the musicians who helped shape the genre.
Line by Line Meaning
San Francisco morning coming clear and cold
It's a cold, clear morning in San Francisco.
Don't know if I'm waking or I'm dreaming
I'm not sure if I'm awake or dreaming.
Riding with Fats Waller on the Super Chief
I'm on the Super Chief with Fats Waller.
He said, musics real, the rest is seeming
Fats Waller said that music is real, everything else is just an illusion.
Oh, he played
Fats Waller played some music.
A feeling that won't go away
The music left an indescribable feeling that will stay with me forever.
Left a sound of his soul in the air
Fats Waller's music left a part of his soul in the atmosphere.
I can hear it up there
I can still hear the music lingering in the air.
And I know
I'm aware of the impact of Fats Waller's music on me.
He left those soul shadows
Fats Waller left behind soul shadows - traces of his music's impact.
On my mind, on my mind, on my mind
It's something that continues to linger in my thoughts.
Standing by the window as a fog rolls in
I'm standing by the window watching the fog roll in.
I swear I can hear a far-off music
I'm sure I can hear distant music playing somewhere.
Jelly Roll is playing down in Storyville
Jelly Roll Morton is playing in Storyville.
Satchmo wailing somewhere in Chicago
Louis Armstrong is playing in Chicago with great intensity.
Coltrane reaching for the notes his mind can hear
John Coltrane is playing music according to what his mind can perceive.
They remain a part of all that I know
Their music still resonates with me and becomes a part of all that I've learned.
Soul shadow
Soul shadows - traces of music's impact on the soul.
On my mind, on my mind, on my mind
Something that continues to stay on my mind.
You oughta hear them play
You need to hear them play.
All on my mind, on my mind, all on my mind
Their music has made a profound impact on me and has become a part of my thoughts and memories.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Joe Sample, Will Jennings
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind