Grover Washington Jr. is the musician most responsible for the sound we now call smooth jazz, and his foundation was built in Buffalo, New York. Born on December 12, 1943, in Buffalo, Washington grew up in a household where jazz was a daily presence. His father, Grover Washington Sr., played tenor saxophone and introduced his son to jazz records from the earliest age. His mother sang in the church choir, grounding the young saxophonist in gospel and soul.
Buffalo Education
Washington started playing saxophone at age eight. By twelve, he was performing in Buffalo clubs — an astonishing trajectory that speaks to both his precocity and the city’s vibrant mid-century music scene. He toured with the Four Clefs from 1959 to 1963, honing his craft on the road before freelancing and, in the mid-1960s, joining the U.S. Army. During his military service, he met drummer Billy Cobham — a connection that would prove significant as both men moved into the upper ranks of jazz and fusion.
The Breakthrough
Washington’s recording career began almost by accident. In 1971, he was called in as a last-minute substitute for Hank Crawford on a Kudu Records session, resulting in his debut album Inner City Blues. The album’s blend of jazz improvisation with R&B grooves and soul textures established a template that Washington would refine over the next three decades.
Mister Magic (1975) made him a star. The title track’s infectious melody and Washington’s warm, lyrical saxophone tone crossed over from jazz to R&B radio, reaching audiences that traditional jazz had never touched. He was not dumbing down jazz — he was expanding its audience without sacrificing musical substance.
Winelight and Just the Two of Us
The album Winelight (1980) was Washington’s masterpiece and a commercial triumph. It won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Instrumental Performance at the 1982 Grammy ceremony. The album’s vocal track, “Just the Two of Us” — a collaboration with Bill Withers — won the Grammy for Best R&B Song in 1982 and became one of the decade’s signature love songs, reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100.
Washington played soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones with equal facility — a versatility that kept his recordings fresh across more than twenty albums for labels including Kudu, Motown, Elektra, and Columbia.
Legacy
Grover Washington Jr. died suddenly on December 17, 1999, at age 56, from a heart attack in Manhattan, shortly after taping a performance for a CBS television special. He had moved to Philadelphia in 1967 and spent most of his career there, but Buffalo shaped the musician he became. His Grammy-winning recordings, his genre-defining saxophone tone, and his ability to make jazz feel like the most welcoming music in the world all trace back to a kid with a horn on the streets of Buffalo.