Grover Washington, Jr. (December 12 1943 – December 17 1999) was an American jazz-funk / soul-jazz musician. Along with John Klemmer, George Benson, David Sanborn, Bob James, Chuck Mangione, Herb Alpert, and Spyro Gyra, he is considered by many to be one of the founding fathers of the smooth jazz genre. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Washington made some of the genre's most memorable hits, including "Mr. Magic", "Black Frost", and "The Best is Yet to Come". In addition, he performed very frequently with other artists, including Bill Withers on "Just the Two of Us" (still in regular rotation on radio today) and Phyllis Hyman on "A Sacred Kind of Love". He is also remembered for his take on a Dave Brubeck classic, called "Take Another Five", and for his hit "Soulful Strut". Birth and childhood Washington was born in Buffalo, New York on December 12 1943. His mother was a church chorister, and his father was a collector of old jaz

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