Best-known as a founding member of The Crusaders, Joe Sample was a pianist and composer from Houston, Texas. After forming The Jazz Crusaders in the 1960s, Sample helped the band transition from a hard bop sound into a fusion of jazz and soul with his rhythmic, funky playing style. The group's new sound coincided with its shortened name, The Crusaders, in the early 1970s when it began to cross over into a more mainstream audience. Sample simultaneously began working on solo material, releasing his debut album, Fancy Dance, with Gazell records in 1969, and then continued to build his extensive discography on his own as well as in collaboration with other prominent jazz artists.
