* En anglais uniquement
Bill Henderson sang blues, ballads, and swing tunes in the tradition of
Joe Williams and
Ernie Andrews, but with his own personality. He started singing professionally in 1952, performed in Chicago with
Ramsey Lewis, moved to New York, and started recording as a leader in 1958. He had a hit with "Señor Blues" (recorded with
Horace Silver), and
Jimmy Smith's trio backed
Henderson on one date. During his period on Vee-Jay (1959-1961), his sidemen included
Ramsey Lewis,
Booker Little,
Yusef Lateef, and
Eddie Harris and, in 1963,
Henderson was featured on a full album (for MGM) accompanied by
the Oscar Peterson Trio. Although he made one further record in 1965 (for Verve) and was with
Count Basie during 1965-1966,
Bill Henderson never really received the fame that his talents deserved. He settled in Los Angeles, worked as an actor, and occasionally led a group containing both pianist
Dave MacKay and pianist/vocalist
Joyce Collins.
Henderson (who recorded several albums for Discovery in the late '70s and early '80s) performed regularly in the Los Angeles area and remained in prime form into the 21st century. He died in April 2016 at the age of 90. ~ Scott Yanow