Trumpeter Donald Byrd crossed over from hard bop in the '50s and '60s to fusion in the '70s. Though his later hits are best remembered today, he started as one of the hard bop movement's most exciting bandleaders and trumpeters. During this period, he worked with the likes of Jackie McLean, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, and Philly Joe Jones. 1972's Black Byrd was a complete and controversial change of direction, as he began working with producers the Mizell Brothers to embrace R&B. He christened The Blackbyrds as a band two years later, to much chart success and many purists' grumbles.