The Crusaders Newcastle City Hall
Support Randy Crawford (didn’t appear)
I went along with my mate Ian largely to see special guest Randy Crawford, who had just hit the singles chart with “One Day I’ll Fly Away”. She had also previously hit the charts with “Streetlife”, on which she was backed by The Crusaders. However, we were to be disappointed, as Randy was unwell, and did not perform that evening. Interestingly, The Crusaders asked in anyone in the audience was a singer, and a girl got up on stage, and delivered a pretty good version of “One Day I’ll Fly Away”. 
The girl’s name was Debbie, and the Sunday Sun website quoted her recently: “When I was a teenager I used to sing in a band and we all went off one night to the City Hall in Newcastle to see Randy Crawford and the Crusaders. They made an announcement that Randy was ill and asked if there was a singer in the house, and everyone pushed me on stage! I was only 18 but I got to sing with the Crusaders, which was an amazing experience.”
The rest of the show was instrumental, and very jazz-based. Great musician, but we both felt let down by Randy’s non-appearance. “The Crusaders are the epitome of musical excellence- acclaimed the world over by fans and critics alike. Their peers in the music industry refer to the members of The Crusaders as “musician’s musicians”” (from wiki). The Crusaders are: Stix Hooper on drums; Wilton Felder on sax; Joe Sample on piano, and still play to this day. I never did get to see Randy Crawford.
Archive for the ‘Crusaders’ Category
1 Aug
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