Hank Crawford was born into a musical family in Tennessee and started playing saxophone at a young age. He recorded with B.B. King in the early ‘50s before going on to become Ray Charles' lead alto player and his band's musical director from 1959 to 1963. Crawford then began a highly successful solo career recording for Atlantic, CTI and Milestone Records, and he collaborated with the likes of Dr. John, Etta James and Jimmy McGriff. He continued working until his death in 2009, leaving a legacy that includes his influence on artists like David Sanborn, Dave Koz and Mindi Abair.