1. Joseph Leslie Sample was an American jazz keyboardist and composer.
18 Facts About Joe Sample
1. 2.
Joe Sample was one of the founding members of The Jazz Crusaders in 1960, after which its name was shortened to "The Crusaders" in 1971.
3.
Joe Sample remained a part of the group until its final album in 1991, and the 2003 reunion album Rural Renewal.
4.
Joe Sample incorporated gospel, blues, jazz, latin, and classical forms into his music.
5.
In high school in the 1950s, Joe Sample teamed up with friends saxophonist Wilton Felder and drummer "Stix" Hooper to form a group called the Swingsters.
6.
Joe Sample never took a degree from the university; instead, in 1960, he and the Jazz Crusaders made the move from Houston to Los Angeles.
7.
Joe Sample was a member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity.
8.
In 1969, Joe Sample made his first recording under his own name; Fancy Dance featured the pianist as part of a jazz trio.
9.
In 1975, Joe Sample went into the studio with bassist Ray Brown and drummer Shelly Manne to produce a then state-of-the-art recording direct to disc titled The Three.
10.
The electric keyboard was fairly new in the 1960s, and Joe Sample became one of the instrument's pioneers.
11.
Joe Sample began to use the electric piano while the group retained their original name, and the group hit a commercial high-water mark with the hit single "Street Life" and the album of the same name in 1979.
12.
Felder, Hooper, and Joe Sample recorded their first album, called Rural Renewal, as the reunited Crusaders group in 2003 and played a concert in Japan in 2004.
13.
Joe Sample appeared on stage at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on 28 May 2000, playing keyboard solo on George Benson's "Deeper Than You Think".
14.
Some of Joe Sample's works were featured on The Weather Channel's "Local on the 8s" segments and his song "Rainbow Seeker" is included in their 2008 compilation release, The Weather Channel Presents: Smooth Jazz II.
15.
Joe Sample died of mesothelioma in Houston, Texas, at the age of 75.
16.
At the time of his death, Joe Sample had been working on a project, "Quadroon," with singer-songwriter Jonatha Brooke.
17.
Joe Sample was Catholic, and supported Catholic charities and churches throughout his life.
18.
Joe Sample's son, bassist Nicklas Sample, was a member of the Coryell Auger Sample Trio featuring Julian Coryell and Karma Auger.