Search - Artist/Band: Grover Washington, Jr.

• Name: Grover Washington, Jr.
• Birthday: 12/12/1943
• Birth Place: Buffalo, NY
• Died: 12/17/1999
• Decades Active: 1960,1970,1980,1990
• Genre: Jazz
• Styles: Crossover Jazz, Quiet Storm, Soul Jazz, Fusion, Contemporary Jazz, Jazz Instrument, Saxophone Jazz
• Moods: Elegant, Intimate, Sophisticated, Amiable/Good-Natured, Laid-Back/Mellow, Romantic, Sentimental

Title	Release
Just the Two of Us & Other Hits	01/30/2007
Love Songs [Rhino]	12/11/2006
Gold	01/10/2006
Soulful Sax	04/05/2005
Trios W	12/14/2004
Definitive Grover Washington, Jr.: The Elektra Years	07/06/2004
Jazz Moods: Cool	06/15/2004
Inside Moves/Paradise	2004
The Essential Collection	04/22/2003
Feels So Good/A Secret Place W	03/18/2003
The Essentials	02/25/2003
Discovery: The First Recordings	08/28/2001
20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Grover Washington, Jr.	04/11/2000
Les Incontournables	03/28/2000
Aria	03/07/2000
Prime Cuts: The Greatest Hits 1987-1999	11/23/1999
Ultimate Collection WA	11/02/1999
Breath of Heaven: A Holiday Collection	09/30/1997
The Best of Grover Washington, Jr. [Motown]	03/19/1996
Soulful Strut	1996
Best of Grover Washington, Jr. [Fly]	10/25/1995
All My Tomorrows WA	1994
Next Exit	1992
At His Best	10/25/1990
Time Out of Mind	1989
Then and Now WA	1988
Strawberry Moon WA	1987
House Full of Love (Music from "The Cosby Show") WA	1986
Anthology [Elektra]	1985
Inside Moves	1984
Greatest Performances	1983
The Best Is Yet to Come	1982
Anthology [Motown]	1981
Winelight WA	06/1980
Come Morning	1980
Skylarkin' WA	10/1979
Paradise	1979
Reed Seed WA	1978
A Secret Place	10/1976
Mister Magic/Feels So Good WA	02/07/1975
Feels So Good	1975
Mister Magic WA	11/1974
Soul Box, Vol. 1 WA	03/1973
Soul Box, Vol. 2 WA	03/1973
All the King's Horses WA	1972
Inner City Blues	09/1971
A Secret Place/All the King's Horses WA

One of the most popular saxophonists of all time, Grover Washington, Jr. was long the pacesetter in his field. His roots were in r&b and soul-jazz organ combos, but he also fared very well on the infrequent occasions when he played straight-ahead jazz. A highly influential player, Washington pushed himself with the spontaneity and risk-taking of a masterful jazz musician.

Grover Washington, Jr.'s, father also played saxophone and was his first influence. The younger son started playing music when he was ten, and within two years was working in clubs. He picked up experience touring with the Four Clefs from 1959-1963 and freelancing during the next two years, before spending a couple years in the Army. He moved to Philadelphia in 1967, becoming closely identified with the city from then on, and worked with several organists, including Charles Earland and Johnny Hammond Smith, recording as a sideman for the Prestige label. His biggest break occurred in 1971, when Hank Crawford could not make it to a recording date for Creed Tasylor's Kudu label; Washington was picked as his replacement, and the result was Inner City Blues, a big seller. From then on he became a major name, particularly after recording 1975's Mister Magic and Feels So Good, and later 1980's Winelight; the latter included the Bill Withers hit "Just the Two of Us."

Although some of his recordings since then found him coasting a bit, Washington usually stretched himself in concert. He developed his own personal voices on soprano, tenor, alto, and even his infrequently-used baritone. Grover Washington Jr. recorded as a leader for Kudu, Motown, Elektra, and Columbia and made notable guest appearances on dozens of records ranging from pop to straightforward jazz. He died of a sudden heart attack on December 17, 1999 while taping an appearance on CBS television's The Saturday Early Show; Washington was 56. The posthumous Aria was issued early the following year. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide