Wilton Felder

Wilton Lewis Felder (August 31, 1940 – September 27, 2015) was an American saxophone and bass player, and is best known as a founding member of the Jazz Crusaders, later known as The Crusaders. Felder played bass on the Jackson 5's hits "I Want You Back" and "ABC" and on Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On".

Biography
Felder was born on August 31, 1940, in Houston, Texas and studied music at Texas Southern University. Felder, Wayne Henderson, Joe Sample, and Stix Hooper founded their group while in high school in Houston. The Jazz Crusaders evolved from a straight-ahead jazz combo into a pioneering jazz-rock fusion group, with a definite soul 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 a West Coast studio musician, mostly playing electric bass, for various soul and R&B musicians, and was one of the in-house bass players for Motown Records, when the record label opened operations in Los Angeles in the early 1970s. He played on recordings by the Jackson 5 such as "I Want You Back", "ABC" and "The Love You Save", as well as recordings by Marvin Gaye including "Let's Get It On" and "I Want You". He also played bass for soft rock groups like Seals and Crofts. Also of note were his contributions to the John Cale album Paris 1919, Steely Dan's Pretzel Logic (1974), and Billy Joel's Piano Man and Streetlife Serenade albums. He was one of three bass players on Randy Newman's Sail Away (1972) and Joan Baez' Diamonds & Rust. Felder also anchored albums from Grant Green, Joni Mitchell and Michael Franks. Felder released the album "Inherit the Wind" with Bobby Womack in 1980.

His album Secrets, which prominently featured Bobby Womack on vocals, reached No. 77 in the UK Albums Chart in 1985. 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 used Yamaha saxes. He played a Fender Telecaster Bass, and also played Aria bass guitars.

Felder died in 2015 at his home in Whittier, California from multiple myeloma. He was 75.

As leader/co-leader

 * Bullitt (Pacific Jazz, 1969)
 * We All Have a Star (MCA, 1978)
 * Inherit the Wind (MCA, 1980)
 * Gentle Fire (MCA, 1983)
 * Secrets (MCA, 1985)
 * Love Is a Rush (MCA, 1987)
 * Nocturnal Moods (PAR, 1991)
 * Forever, Always (PAR, 1992)
 * Lets Spend Some Time (BCS, 2005)

With The (Jazz) Crusaders
 * Freedom Sound (Pacific Jazz, 1961)
 * Lookin' Ahead (Pacific Jazz, 1962)
 * The Jazz Crusaders at the Lighthouse (Pacific Jazz, 1962)
 * Tough Talk (Pacific Jazz, 1963)
 * Heat Wave (Pacific Jazz, 1963)
 * Jazz Waltz (Pacific Jazz, 1963) with Les McCann
 * Stretchin' Out (Pacific Jazz, 1964)
 * The Thing (Pacific Jazz, 1965)
 * Chile Con Soul (Pacific Jazz, 1965)
 * Live at the Lighthouse '66 (Pacific Jazz, 1966)
 * Talk That Talk (Pacific Jazz, 1966)
 * The Festival Album (Pacific Jazz, 1966)
 * Uh Huh (Pacific Jazz, 1967)
 * Lighthouse '68 (Pacific Jazz, 1968)
 * Powerhouse (Pacific Jazz, 1969)
 * Lighthouse '69 (Pacific Jazz, 1969)

As sideman
With Donald Byrd With Joan Baez With John Cale '''With Michael Franks With Dizzy Gillespie With Grant Green With Richard "Groove" Holmes With Harry Nilsson With Marvin Gaye With Matraca Berg With Paul Anka With Solomon Burke With Donovan With Jackson Browne With Jennifer Warnes With Milt Jackson With Tina Turner With John Klemmer With Charles Kynard With Minnie Riperton With Ringo Starr With Carmen McRae With Billy Joel With Randy Crawford With Joni Mitchell With B.B. King With Wendy Waldman With Randy Newman With Shuggie Otis With Dusty Springfield With Jean-Luc Ponty With Seals & Crofts With Jimmy Smith With Steely Dan With Gerald Wilson With Hugh Masekela
 * Ethiopian Knights (Blue Note, 1972)
 * Diamonds & Rust (A&M, 1975)
 * Blowin' Away (Portrait, 1977)
 * Paris 1919 (Reprise, 1972)
 * The Art of Tea (Reprise, 1976)
 * Sleeping Gypsy (Warner Bros., 1977)
 * Free Ride (Pablo, 1977) composed and arranged by Lalo Schifrin
 * Shades of Green (Blue Note, 1971)
 * Live at The Lighthouse (Blue Note, 1972)
 * Welcome Home (Pacific Jazz, 1968)
 * Flash Harry (Mercury, 1980)
 * Let's Get It On (Tamla, 1973)
 * I Want You (Motown, 1976)
 * The Speed of Grace (MCA, 1994)
 * The Painter (United Artists, 1976)
 * Electronic Magnetism (MGM, 1971)
 * Slow Down World (Epic, 1976)
 * Lady of the Stars (RCA, 1984)
 * For Everyman (Asylum, 1973)
 * Jennifer (Reprise, 1972)
 * Memphis Jackson (Impulse!, 1969)
 * Private Dancer (Capitol, 1984)
 * Constant Throb (Impulse!, 1971)
 * Waterfalls (Impulse!, 1972)
 * Magic and Movement (Impulse!, 1974)
 * Reelin' with the Feelin' (Prestige, 1969)
 * Stay in Love (Epic, 1977)
 * Stop and Smell the Roses (RCA, 1981)
 * Can't Hide Love (Blue Note, 1976)
 * Piano Man (Columbia, 1973)
 * Streetlife Serenade (Columbia, 1974)
 * Now We May Begin (Warner Bros., 1980)
 * For the Roses (Asylum, 1972)
 * Court and Spark (Asylum, 1974)
 * The Hissing of Summer Lawns (Asylum, 1975)
 * Midnight Believer (ABC, 1978)
 * Take It Home (ABC, 1979)
 * Love Has Got Me (Warner Bros., 1973)
 * Sail Away (Reprise, 1972)
 * Here Comes Shuggie Otis (Epic, 1970)
 * Freedom Flight (Epic, 1971)
 * Cameo (ABC, 1973)
 * King Kong: Jean-Luc Ponty Plays the Music of Frank Zappa (World Pacific/Liberty, 1970)
 * Summer Breeze (Warner Bros., 1972)
 * Diamond Girl (Warner Bros., 1973)
 * I'll Play for You (Warner Bros., 1975)
 * Get Closer (Warner Bros., 1976)
 * Sudan Village (Warner Bros., 1976)
 * Root Down (Verve, 1972)
 * Pretzel Logic (ABC, 1974)
 * Katy Lied (ABC, 1975)
 * California Soul (Pacific Jazz, 1968)
 * Reconstruction (Chisa, 1970)