The Crusaders

The Crusaders were an American band that adopted the shortened name in 1971 after earlier work as The Jazz Crusaders. Their music blended jazz, soul, and funk, anchored by horn lines, electric keyboards and groove-oriented rhythms; core members included Joe Sample, Wayne Henderson, Wilton Felder and Stix Hooper. Across several decades through 2010 they moved from hard bop and soul-jazz toward a smoother jazz-funk fusion sound characterized by accessible melodies and rhythmic grooves.