Randy Crawford’s 4 Best Jazz/R&B Crossovers with Famous Collaborators

Throughout the 1980s, Randy Crawford often graced the U.S. album charts, with her releases typically finding a spot in the lower half of the Billboard 200. Her success was more pronounced on the R&B singles chart, where she continued to make an impact well into the late ‘90s. Despite receiving Grammy nominations for her work with jazz keyboardist Joe Sample in the late 2000s, Crawford never became a mainstay on U.S. Top-40 radio. Her biggest success as a pop artist occurred in the UK, where she charted 13 singles on the Official Singles Chart, including two Top-5 hits, “One Day I’ll Fly Away” and “Almaz.”

On four notable occasions, collaborations helped Crawford reach a broader U.S. audience beyond her R&B and jazz followers. Two of these collaborations maintained her jazz roots, one teamed her with a progressive rock legend, and the other featured a duet with a former teen idol.

One such collaboration was “Hoping Love Will Last” from Steve Hackett’s album Please Don’t Touch (1978). This album marked Hackett’s first solo project after leaving Genesis and his second solo album overall. Crawford was among several American musicians contributing to the album. At the time of recording in late 1977 and early 1978, Crawford had yet to break into any chart singles or albums. Alongside Crawford, musicians like Steve Walsh of Kansas and Richie Havens provided vocals on other tracks. However, “Hoping Love Will Last” was the only song that featured Crawford’s vocals.

Although the song was not released as a single, Please Don’t Touch reached No. 103 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the chart for 14 weeks, making it Hackett’s highest-charting solo project. Hackett later included the song in his 1992 compilation album The Unauthorised Biography.

Another prominent collaboration was “Street Life” with The Crusaders, appearing on their album of the same name in 1979. Known for their jazz fusion style, The Crusaders had occasionally crossed into the Billboard Hot 100 since their 1966 instrumental cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Uptight (Everything’s Alright).” “Street Life” was a milestone for both The Crusaders and Crawford, peaking at No. 36 on the Hot 100. A rerecorded version of “Street Life” was featured in the films Sharky’s Machine and Jackie Brown.

The song was co-written by Sample and Will Jennings. Sample, The Crusaders’ keyboardist, had been part of Crawford’s debut album Everything Must Change in 1976. Will Jennings is best known for his work with Steve Winwood and co-writing iconic hits like Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” and “Up Where We Belong” by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes.

On the Casino Lights compilation album released in 1982, Crawford performed “Your Precious Love” with Al Jarreau. This soul jazz compilation featured Crawford on four songs, including three duets with Jarreau. Their version of the Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell 1967 hit was recorded at Mountain Studios in Montreux, Switzerland, featuring musicians like Richard Page of Mr. Mister, Bill Champlin of Chicago, and Larry Carlton, a frequent Steely Dan collaborator.

Crawford and Jarreau’s rendition of “Your Precious Love” reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under chart and stayed on the R&B chart for 15 weeks, two weeks longer than the original by Gaye and Terrell.

In 1984, Rick Springfield’s soundtrack album Hard to Hold featured a collaboration with Crawford titled “Taxi Dancing.” Known for his Top-40 and rock station hits during the ‘80s, Springfield’s fourth single from the soundtrack was a departure from his usual style. “Taxi Dancing” is a pop ballad where Crawford and Springfield alternate lead vocals and share the choruses. Although it didn’t reach the heights of “Street Life,” it spent 10 weeks on the Hot 100, peaking at No. 59.

The Hard to Hold soundtrack, technically Springfield’s eighth studio album, featured him performing on and writing seven of the 10 tracks. Contributions from Graham Parker, Nona Hendryx, and Peter Gabriel filled out the rest of the album.

Photo by Laurent Gillieron/EPA/Shutterstock

Source: American Songwriter