Grover Washington, Jr. ranked among the most widely celebrated saxophonists of the twentieth century and long defined the direction of his instrument. Although his foundation rested in R&B and soul-jazz organ groups, he also shone on the rare occasions he turned to straight-ahead jazz. Widely influential, he built his reputation on impulsive phrasing and daring musical decisions.
His first model was his father, a saxophonist whose playing shaped his earliest approach. Washington took up the horn at ten and began performing in clubs by twelve. From 1959 to 1963 he traveled with the Four Clefs, spent the next two years as a freelance musician, and then served briefly in the Army. In 1967 he settled in Philadelphia, where he remained closely identified for the rest of his life. There he worked regularly with organists including Charles Earland and Johnny Hammond Smith and appeared as a sideman on Prestige sessions.
His decisive break came in 1971 when Hank Crawford missed a date for Creed Taylor’s Kudu label; Washington stepped in and delivered the commercially successful Inner City Blues. Major recognition followed, notably with the 1975 albums Mister Magic and Feels So Good and the 1980 release Winelight, which contained the Bill Withers hit “Just the Two of Us.”
Over time he developed distinct personal styles on soprano, tenor, alto, and the seldom-used baritone. As a leader he recorded for Kudu, Motown, Elektra, and Columbia while making memorable appearances on dozens of other projects that ranged from pop to unadorned jazz. On December 17, 1999, at age fifty-six, he died of a sudden heart attack while taping an episode of CBS television’s The Saturday Early Show. The posthumous album Aria appeared early the next year.
