GROVER WASHINGTON, JR.

Grover Washington, Jr.'s love of music began a a child growing up in Buffalo, New York; his mother (who sang in church choirs) and father (collector of jazz 78s) bought him a saxophone at age ten. "After I started playing," Grover says, "I'd sneak into clubs to watch guys like Jack McDuff, Harold Vick and Charles Lloyd. My professional life began at age twelve. I played a lot of R&B, blues, and what we used to call 'gut-bucket'." 

Grover left Buffalo to play in the Midwest with a group called the Four Clefs. Soon afterward, he was drafted into the Army; during that time he made some important connections. Drummer Billie Cobham, who was in the Army band with Grover, introduced him to several prominent New York musicians, and he soon began freelancing in New York and Philadelphia. Grover also met his wife Christine (who has since acted as his business partner as well) in Philadelphia around that time; they married shortly after his discharge in 1967. The two have remained happily married since; their son, Grover III (who co-produced a Grammy-nominated song on Grover's last album) now lives in Los Angeles and their daughter, Shana attends Temple University.

After playing in organist Charles Earland's band, and recording as a sideman for the CTI and Prestige labels, Grover recorded Breakout with Johnny Hammond. The album was a bestseller, and it established Grover as a major new voice on saxophone.

So impressed was Creed Taylor, Hammond's producer and head of CTI, that he signed Grover to a contract as a leader. When his debut as a leader, Inner City Blues was released in 1971, Grover was still working at a Philadelphia record wholesaler, "I was unloading boxes of records with my own name on them," Grover recalls with a hint of irony.

Grover's soulful, sophisticated sound developed through the 1970s and the success of his next three albums--All the King's Horses, Soul Box and especially Mister Magic--landed him as a headliner in the concert halls, and opened the door to session work with the likes of Bob James, Randy Weston, Eric Gale, and Dave Grusin.

With the release of Winelight in 1980, Grover earned recognition as a leading instrumental master. The LP earned two Grammy Awards, for "Best Jazz Fusion Recording" and "Best R&B Song" for "Just the Two of Us." Down Beat Magazine crooned, "Washington plays with exquisite tone, range and dexterity, grooving always." The Boston Herald-American proclaimed the album, "A true masterpiece by an artist who has the ability to combine the better elements of pop, soul and jazz and transform them into a form uniquely his." Perhaps the greatest recognition came through record distributors, much like the one Grover had once worked in. Winelight was certified gold in 1981; to date, it has sold over two million copies.

Grover's subsequent albums extended his reputation even further. Come Morning (1981) featured Ralph MacDonald, Steve Gadd, Eric Gale, Richard Tee, Marcus Miller, and vocals by Grady Tate; it earned Grover his fourth Gold recording. The Best is Yet to Come (1982) earned a Grammy nomination for vocalist Patti Labelle on the title track. Inside Moves (1984) featured vocals from Jon Lucien. For Strawberry Moon (1987), Grover was joined by legendary blues guitarists B.B. King, as well as by jazz/r&b vocalist Jean Carne. For Then and Now (1988), Grover explored the many facets of his musical expression, aided by jazz starts Tommy Flanagan, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Marvin "Smitty" Smith. On Time Out of Mind (1990), Grover scored another hit with vocalist Phyllis Hyman with 'Sacred kind of Love.' And on Next Exit (1992), Grover explored several musical avenues, reinventing a classic Paul Desmond tune, "Take Five," as his own "Take Another Five," teaming up with The Four Tops and Lalah Hathaway, even dipping into rap.

In the early eighties, Grover played a major role in establishing the Philadelphia group Pieces of a Dream, for whom he produced three albums. These successes, and many, many more awards and credits as producer, player and composer, over two decades have today made Grover Washington, Jr. a key player in modern jazz and a familiar face on our cultural horizon. With just the mention of his first name or a note from his saxophone, audiences worldwide respond.

Grover's saxophone can be heard playing the national anthem at a Philadelphia 76'ers' game (revealing his lifelong passion for basketball); performing at Penn's Landing in Philadelphia for July 4th (with one million listeners in attendance) or at the Blue Note jazz club in New York (playing to sold-out rooms). His musical prominence recently took him to the White House for President Clinton's Inauguration (where he first met--and impressed Hank Jones).

Reflecting on all that, Grover says, "I'm thankful for the people who inspired me over the years: Dexter Gordon, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Stanley Turrentine, Cannonball Adderley, Sonny Rollins, Oliver Nelson. I would like to believe that some of the reason I've been around so long is that I don't do the same thing over and over--I like to grow, to keep adding another thread to my musical tapestry," he adds. "I'm just staying true to the things that got me to play in the first place."

All My Tomorrows is true to the inspirations in its lyrical approach, its respect for a classic song, and its depth of expression. It is an intimate, personal work worth returning to again and again. Perhaps producer Todd Barkan puts it best, with a quote he and Grover heard many times from Dexter Gordon on the bandstand: "Ladies and gentlemen, I hope we give you something to put under your pillows."

Fame

His fifth album, 1974's Mister Magic, was a commercial success, and introduced guitarist Eric Gale as a near-permanent member in Washington's arsenal.  

A string of acclaimed records brought Washington through the 1970s, which culminated in the signature piece for everything Washington would do from then on. The 1980s Winelight was the album that defined everything Washington was about. The album was smooth, fused with R&B and easy listening feel. Washington's love of basketball, especially the Philadelphia 76ers, led him to dedicate his first track, "Let It Flow" to Julius Erving (Dr. J). The highlight of the album, and a main staple of radio airplay everywhere, was his great collaboration with soul artist Bill Withers, "Just The Two of Us," which was a huge hit on radio during the spring and summer of '81, peaking at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also the final step away from Motown, landing him on Elektra Records and into a new era of jazz excellence. The album went platinum in 1981, and also won Grammy Awards in 1982 for Best R&B Song ("Just The Two of Us"), and Best Jazz Fusion Performance ("Winelight"). "Winelight" was also nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.[1]

In the post-Winelight era, Washington is credited for giving rise to a new batch of talent that would make its mark in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He is known for bringing Kenny G to the forefront, but also credited with bringing such smooth jazz artists as Walter Beasley, Steve Cole, Pamela Williams, Najee, and George Howard. His song Mr. Magic is noted as being influential on Go-go music starting in the mid-1970s.

On December 17, 1999, while waiting in the green room after taping four songs for the The Early Show, at CBS Studios in New York City, Washington collapsed. He was taken to St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at about 7:30 p.m. He was 56 years old. His doctors determined that he had suffered a massive heart attack.

Discography

As leader

1971: Inner City Blues
1972: All the King's Horses
1973: Soul Box
1974: Mister Magic
1975: Feels So Good
1976: A Secret Place
1978: Live at the Bijou
1979: Skylarkin'
1979: Paradise
1979: Reed Seed
1980: Winelight
1980: Come Morning
1981: Baddest
1982: The Best Is Yet to Come
1984: Inside Moves
1986: House Full of Love (Music from The Cosby Show)
1987: Strawberry Moon
1988: Then and Now
1989: Time Out of Mind
1992: Next Exit
1994: All My Tomorrows
1996: Soulful Strut
2000: Aria

As sideman

With Leon Spencer

1970: Sneak Preview (Prestige Records)
1971: Louisiana Slim (Prestige)

With Dexter Gordon

1982: American Classic (Elektra)

With Kenny Burrell

1985: Togethering (Blue Note)

With Gerry Mulligan

1995: Dragonfly (Telarc)

With Kathleen Battle

1995: So Many Stars (Sony)