Joseph Leslie Sample (February 1, 1939 – September 12, 2014) was an American pianist, keyboard player, and composer. He was one of the founding members of
the Jazz Crusaders, the band which became simply
The Crusaders in 1971, and remained a part of the group until its final album in 1991 (not including the 2003 reunion album
Rural Renewal). Sample was born in Houston, Texas, on February 1, 1939, the youngest son of Alexander Sample, a mail-carrier, and Agatha (née Osborne) Sample, a seamstress. Sample began to play the piano at age 5. He was a student of the organist and pianist (T…
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