wouldn't call him a direct influence, but still, Joe Sample. Rest in peace. I listened to a lot of his stuff during college. My favorite was U Turn, featuring Take 6.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ml4at1HZdTY
You can't get much more elevator music than this.. I remember recreating the "no more get up and go" part in vocals just to see what it felt like to do sing that harmony.