Hank Crawford was an American alto saxophone player and songwriter. It was said that his style of playing sounded as much like a vocalist as a saxophonist. He was born in Memphis and as a child he played the piano and then the saxophone after his father bought one home from his army service. Crawford was greatly influenced by the blues and gospel traditions of Memphis and went to high school with Phineas Newborn Jr, Booker Little and George Coleman.

He played in Memphis bands featuring Ike Turner, B.B. King, Junior Parker and Bobby 'Blue' Bland. In 1958 he moved to Nashville to study music at Tennessee State College and was given the nickname 'Hank' because of his resemblance to Memphis saxophonist Hank O'Day. He was recruited by Ray Charles that year, first as a baritone saxophonist before switching to alto in 1959. He was the musical director of Charles' band until 1963 and it was during this period that he developed his distinctive style. He wrote the track 'Sherry' for Charles, which appeared on the 'Live at Newport' album.

He made his solo album debut with 'The Art of Hank Crawford' in 1960. He left Ray Charles in 1963 and released a series of gospel-influenced jazz albums in the 1960s, having hits with 'Misty' (1961) and 'Skunky Green' (1964).

During the 1970s he released eight more commercial albums of covers on the Kudu label. In 1983 he moved to the Milestone label as an arranger, soloist and composer, working with acts such as Dr John, Melvin Sparks, Jimmy McGriff, Eric Clapton and Etta James. His solo albums included the soul-jazz of 1988's 'After Dark'.

In 2000 he released a more mainstream jazz album, 'The World of Hank Crawford'. He died in 2009 at the age of 74.

Hank Crawford

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