Michael Henderson
Encyclopedia
Michael Henderson is an American
bass guitar
ist and vocalist best known for his bass playing with Miles Davis
in the early 1970s, on early fusion
albums such as A Tribute to Jack Johnson
, Pangaea
, and Live-Evil.
and soul
musicians of the past 40 years. In addition to Davis, he has played and recorded with Marvin Gaye
, Aretha Franklin
, Stevie Wonder
, the Dramatics
, Doctor John and many other famous artists. He is considered to be one of the three greatest Motown bass guitarists, along with Bob Babbitt
and his primary influence, James Jamerson
.
Before working with Davis, Henderson had been touring with Stevie Wonder, whom he met at the Regal Theater
in Chicago while warming up for a gig. Davis saw the young Henderson performing at the Copacabana
in New York City in early 1970 and reportedly said to Wonder simply "I'm takin' your bass player."
After almost seven years with Davis, Henderson focused on songwriting
and singing in a solo career that produced many hit songs and albums for Arista Records
until his retirement in 1986. Although known primarily for ballad
s, he was an influential funk
player whose riffs and songs have been widely covered. His solo recordings have sold well over one million albums. A track titled "Wide Receiver
" on an album of the same name is highly favored by breakdancers. The album was reissued by Superbird (UK) in November 2010 and a compilation titled The Best of Michael Henderson features the "Wide Receiver" song.
s have been imitated by players seeking the fat, deep grooves of the Motown sound. His bass riffs, from such hits as "Valentine Love" and "You Are My Starship", have been sampled
by the likes of Snoop Dogg
and L.L. Cool J, and his songs have been sampled and/or covered
by Jay-Z
(American Gangster (album)
), Eminem
(for 8 Mile
), and projects by Notorious BIG, Rick James
, Wayman Tisdale
and Sugar Ray
, among others.
He currently lives in Las Vegas and plays shows intermittently, performing his solo material as well as that of other Motown and soul musicians. He has also played reunion concerts with other former members of the Davis electric bands.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
ist and vocalist best known for his bass playing with Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
in the early 1970s, on early fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
albums such as A Tribute to Jack Johnson
A Tribute to Jack Johnson
A Tribute to Jack Johnson is a studio album by American jazz musician Miles Davis, released February 24, 1971 on Columbia Records. It also serves as the soundtrack for a documentary by Bill Cayton about the heavyweight world champion boxer Jack Johnson....
, Pangaea
Pangaea (album)
Pangaea is a double album recorded by jazz trumpeter Miles Davis in 1975. Both Pangaea and Agharta were recorded on the same day in Osaka, Japan...
, and Live-Evil.
Biography
He was one of the first notable bass guitarists of the fusion era as well as being one of the most influential jazzJazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
musicians of the past 40 years. In addition to Davis, he has played and recorded with Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
, Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
, Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, the Dramatics
The Dramatics
The Dramatics are an American soul music vocal group, formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1962. They are best known for their 1970s hit songs "In the Rain" and "Whatcha See is Whatcha Get", both of which were #1 R&B and Top 10 Pop hits.-Career:The Dramatics originally formed in 1962 recording as the...
, Doctor John and many other famous artists. He is considered to be one of the three greatest Motown bass guitarists, along with Bob Babbitt
Bob Babbitt
Bob Babbitt is an American bassist, most famous for his work as a member of Motown Records' studio band, the Funk Brothers, from 1966–1972, as well as his tenure as part of MFSB for Philadelphia International Records afterwards. Also in 1968-1970, with Mike Campbell, Ray Monette and Andrew Smith...
and his primary influence, James Jamerson
James Jamerson
James Lee Jamerson was an American bass player. He was the uncredited bassist on most of Motown Records' hits in the 1960s and early 1970s , and he is now regarded as one of the most influential bass players in modern music history...
.
Before working with Davis, Henderson had been touring with Stevie Wonder, whom he met at the Regal Theater
Regal Theater, South Side (Chicago)
The Regal Theater, located in the heart of Bronzeville, was an important night club and music venue in Chicago.Part of the Balaban and Katz chain, the lavishly decorated venue, with plush carpeting and velvet drapes featured some of the most celebrated black entertainers in America.The Regal also...
in Chicago while warming up for a gig. Davis saw the young Henderson performing at the Copacabana
Copacabana (nightclub)
The Copacabana is a famous New York City nightclub. Many entertainers, among them Danny Thomas, Pat Cooper and the comedy team of Martin and Lewis, made their debuts at the Copacabana. The 1978 Barry Manilow song "Copacabana" is named after, and is about the nightclub. Part of the 2003 Yerba...
in New York City in early 1970 and reportedly said to Wonder simply "I'm takin' your bass player."
After almost seven years with Davis, Henderson focused on songwriting
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and singing in a solo career that produced many hit songs and albums for Arista Records
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
until his retirement in 1986. Although known primarily for ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
s, he was an influential funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
player whose riffs and songs have been widely covered. His solo recordings have sold well over one million albums. A track titled "Wide Receiver
Wide Receiver (song)
Wide Receiver is a 1980 funk/dance song by North American bass guitarist and vocalist Michael Henderson. The song was from the album Wide Receiver which is now out of print...
" on an album of the same name is highly favored by breakdancers. The album was reissued by Superbird (UK) in November 2010 and a compilation titled The Best of Michael Henderson features the "Wide Receiver" song.
Influence
Many of his bass riffRIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
s have been imitated by players seeking the fat, deep grooves of the Motown sound. His bass riffs, from such hits as "Valentine Love" and "You Are My Starship", have been sampled
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
by the likes of Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
and L.L. Cool J, and his songs have been sampled and/or covered
Covered
Covered is a term used in popular music in general to refer to a song recorded by different performer from its original or most popular recorded version, and by some disc jockeys in particular to describe a musical recording presented under the guise of a false title and artist name...
by Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
(American Gangster (album)
American Gangster (album)
American Gangster is the tenth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, released November 6, 2007 on Roc-A-Fella Records. It is Jay-Z's last studio release for the Def Jam and Roc-A-Fella Records label and his first concept album, which was inspired by the film of the same name. The album features...
), Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
(for 8 Mile
8 Mile (film)
8 Mile is a 2002 American hip-hop drama film written by Scott Silver, directed by Curtis Hanson, and starring Eminem, Mekhi Phifer, Brittany Murphy, and Kim Basinger....
), and projects by Notorious BIG, Rick James
Rick James
James Ambrose Johnson, Jr. , better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. James was a popular performer in the late 1970s and 1980s, scoring four number-one hits on the U.S. R&B charts performing in the genres of funk and R&B...
, Wayman Tisdale
Wayman Tisdale
Wayman Lawrence Tisdale was an American professional basketball player in the NBA and a smooth jazz bass guitarist. A three-time All American at the University of Oklahoma, he was elected to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.-Early life:Tisdale was born in Fort Worth, Texas...
and Sugar Ray
Sugar Ray
Sugar Ray is a band from Orange County, California. The band, starting off more as an alternative metal band, first gained fame in 1997 with their release of the song "Fly". This song's success, coupled with its pop rock sound that was quite different from the rest of their material at the time,...
, among others.
He currently lives in Las Vegas and plays shows intermittently, performing his solo material as well as that of other Motown and soul musicians. He has also played reunion concerts with other former members of the Davis electric bands.
As leader
- 1976: SolidSolid (Michael Henderson album)-Track listing:#Make Me Feel Better 3:00 #Time 3:11 #Let Love Enter 2:54 #Treat Me Like A Man 4:02 #Solid 6:34 #Be My Girl 5:07 #You Haven't Made It To The Top 4:04 #Valentine Love 3:57 #Stay With Me This Summer 3:42-Personnel:...
(Buddah) - 1977: Goin' PlacesGoin' Places (Michael Henderson album)-Track listing:All tracks composed by Michael Henderson; except where indicated#"Whip It" 4:01#"Goin' Places" 4:08#"Let Me Love You" 5:00#"I Can't Help It" 4:16...
(Buddah) - 1978: In The Night Time (Buddah)
- 1979: Do It AllDo It All (Michael Henderson album)-Track listing:All tracks composed by Michael Henderson; except where indicated#"Playing On The Real Thing" 4:18#"Everybody Wants To Know Why" 3:13#"To Be Loved" 4:44#"Do It All" 5:17...
(Buddah) - 1980: Wide Receiver (Buddah)
- 1981: Slingshot (Buddah)
- 1983: Fickel (Buddah)
- 1986: Bedtime Stores (EMI Records)
With Miles Davis
- The Cellar Door SessionsThe Cellar Door SessionsThe Cellar Door Sessions 1970 is a boxed live album released in 2005. It was recorded on several 1970 concerts at the Washington-based nightclub The Cellar Door....
(1970) - A Tribute to Jack JohnsonA Tribute to Jack JohnsonA Tribute to Jack Johnson is a studio album by American jazz musician Miles Davis, released February 24, 1971 on Columbia Records. It also serves as the soundtrack for a documentary by Bill Cayton about the heavyweight world champion boxer Jack Johnson....
(1971) - Live-Evil (1971)
- On the CornerOn the CornerOn the Corner is a studio album by jazz musician Miles Davis, recorded in June and July 1972 and released later that year on Columbia Records. It was scorned by critics at the time of its release and was one of Davis's worst-selling recordings...
(1972) - In Concert: Live at Philharmonic HallIn Concert: Live at Philharmonic HallIn Concert: Live at Philharmonic Hall is a double album recorded by American jazz musician Miles Davis.It was recorded live at Philharmonic Hall, New York, New York on September 29, 1972, and originally released without track or personnel listings...
(1973) - Big Fun (1974)
- Get Up with ItGet Up with ItGet Up with It is an album collecting tracks recorded between 1970 and 1974 by Miles Davis. Released on November 22, 1974 as a double LP, it was Davis' last studio album before five years of retirement from music....
(1974) - AghartaAgharta (album)Agharta is an album recorded by jazz trumpeter Miles Davis in 1975. Both Agharta and Pangaea were recorded on the same day in Osaka, Japan...
(1976) - PangaeaPangaea (album)Pangaea is a double album recorded by jazz trumpeter Miles Davis in 1975. Both Pangaea and Agharta were recorded on the same day in Osaka, Japan...
(1975) - Dark MagusDark MagusDark Magus is a live album by jazz artist Miles Davis recorded at Carnegie Hall in New York City on March 30, 1974. The album was released in 1977 in Japan as a double-LP by Columbia Records, and released in 1997 in the United States in a double-CD format...
(1977)