Wilton Felder | |
|---|---|
 Felder in 1978 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Wilton Lewis Felder (1940-08-31)August 31, 1940 Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | September 27, 2015(2015-09-27) (aged 75) Whittier, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instruments | |
| Years active | 1959–2015 |
| Formerly of | |
Wilton Lewis Felder (August 31, 1940 – September 27, 2015) was an Americansaxophone andbass player, and is best known as a founding member of the Jazz Crusaders, later known asthe Crusaders. Felder played bass onthe Jackson 5's hits "I Want You Back" (1969) and "ABC" (1970) and onMarvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" (1973).
Felder was born on August 31, 1940, inHouston, Texas and studied music atTexas Southern University.[1][2] Felder,Wayne Henderson,Joe Sample, andStix Hooper founded their group while in high school in Houston. The Jazz Crusaders evolved from a straight-aheadjazz combo into a pioneeringjazz-rock fusion group, with a definitesoul 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 aWest Coaststudiomusician, mostly playing electric bass, for various soul andR&B musicians, and was one of the in-house bass players forMotown Records, when therecord label opened operations inLos Angeles in the early 1970s. He played onrecordings bythe Jackson 5 such as "I Want You Back", "ABC" and "The Love You Save", as well as recordings byMarvin Gaye including "Let's Get It On" and "I Want You". He also played bass for soft rock groups likeSeals and Crofts. Felder played bass on #1 big hitThe Hues Corporation's "Rock the Boat" (1974), notJames Jamerson.[3] He worked with many other musicians such asFour TopsKeeper of the Castle (1972),Steely Dan'sPretzel Logic (1974),Joni Mitchell'sFor the Roses,John Cale'sParis 1919,Billy Joel'sPiano Man,Randy Newman'sSail Away (1972) andJoan Baez'Diamonds & Rust.[4] Felder also anchoredalbums fromGrant Green andMichael Franks. Felder released the album "Inherit the Wind" withBobby Womack in 1980.[5]
His albumSecrets, which prominently featuredBobby Womack on vocals, reached No. 77 in theUK Albums Chart in 1985.[6] The 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 usedYamaha saxes. He played aFender Telecaster Bass, and also playedAria bass guitars.
Felder died in 2015 at his home inWhittier, California frommultiple myeloma.[1] He was 75.[7][8]
WithJoan Baez
WithFour Tops
WithDonald Byrd
WithDonovan
WithJackson Browne
WithJohn Cale
WithMichael Franks
WithMarvin Gaye
WithDizzy Gillespie
WithGrant Green
WithRonnie Laws
WithJoni Mitchell
WithRandy Newman
WithB.B. King
WithHarry Nilsson
WithJennifer Warnes
WithMilt Jackson
WithTina Turner
WithJohn Klemmer
WithCharles Kynard
WithMinnie Riperton
WithRingo Starr
WithCarmen McRae
WithBilly Joel
WithRandy Crawford
WithShuggie Otis
WithJean-Luc Ponty
WithSeals & Crofts
WithJimmy Smith
WithSteely Dan
WithGerald Wilson
WithHugh Masekela
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| National | |
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