Fletcher Henderson
Born James Fletcher Henderson December 18th, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia and… Read Full Bio ↴Born James Fletcher Henderson December 18th, 1897, in Cuthbert, Georgia and died December 28th, 1952 due to a stroke.
Fletcher Henderson was very important to early jazz as leader of the first great jazz big band, as an arranger and composer in the 1930s, and as a masterful talent scout. Between 1923-1939, quite an all-star cast of top young black jazz musicians passed through his orchestra, including trumpeters Louis Armstrong, Joe Smith, Tommy Ladnier, Rex Stewart, Bobby Stark, Cootie Williams, Red Allen, and Roy Eldridge; trombonists Charlie Green, Benny Morton, Jimmy Harrison, Sandy Williams, J.C. Higginbottham, and Dickie Wells; clarinetist Buster Bailey; tenors Coleman Hawkins (1924-1934), Ben Webster, Lester Young (whose brief stint was not recorded), and Chu Berry; altoists Benny Carter, Russell Procope, and Hilton Jefferson; bassists John Kirby and Israel Crosby; drummers Kaiser Marshall, Walter Johnson, and Sid Catlett; guest pianist Fats Waller; and such arrangers as Don Redman, Benny Carter, Edgar Sampson, and Fletcher's younger brother Horace Henderson. And yet, at the height of the swing era, Henderson's band was little-known.
Fletcher Henderson had a degree in chemistry and mathematics, but when he came to New York in 1920 with hopes of becoming a chemist, the only job he could find (due to the racism of the times) was as a song demonstrator with the Pace-Handy music company. Harry Pace soon founded the Black Swan label, and Henderson, a versatile but fairly basic pianist, became an important contributor behind the scenes, organizing bands and backing blues vocalists. Although he started recording as a leader in 1921, it was not until January 1924 that he put together his first permanent big band. Using Don Redman's innovative arrangements, he was soon at the top of his field. His early recordings (Henderson made many records during 1923-1924) tend to be both futuristic and awkward, with strong musicianship but staccato phrasing. However, after Louis Armstrong joined up in late 1924 and Don Redman started contributing more swinging arrangements, the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra had no close competitors artistically until the rise of Duke Ellington in 1927. By then, Henderson's band (after a period at the Club Alabam) was playing regularly at the Roseland Ballroom but, due to the bandleader being a very indifferent businessman, the all-star outfit recorded relatively little during its peak (1927-1930).
With the departure of Redman in 1927, and the end of interim periods when Benny Carter and Horace Henderson wrote the bulk of the arrangements, Fletcher himself developed into a top arranger by the early '30s. However, the Depression took its toll on the band, and the increased competition from other orchestras (along with some bad business decisions and the loss of Coleman Hawkins) resulted in Henderson breaking up the big band in early 1935. Starting in 1934, he began contributing versions of his better arrangements to Benny Goodman's new orchestra (including "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy," and "Down South Camp Meeting"), and ironically Goodman's recordings were huge hits at a time when Fletcher Henderson's name was not known to the general public. In 1936, he put together a new orchestra and immediately had a hit in "Christopher Columbus," but after three years he had to disband again in 1939. Henderson worked as a staff arranger for Goodman and even played in B.G.'s Sextet for a few months (although his skills on the piano never did develop much). He struggled through the 1940s, leading occasional bands (including one in the mid-'40s that utilized some arrangements by the young Sun Ra). In 1950, Henderson had a fine sextet with Lucky Thompson, but later that year collapsed on the street aparently from a stroke. The incapacitation ended his career and led to his death in 1952. Virtually all of Fletcher Henderson's recordings as a leader (and many are quite exciting) are currently available on the Classics label and in more piecemeal fashion domestically.
Fletcher Henderson was very important to early jazz as leader of the first great jazz big band, as an arranger and composer in the 1930s, and as a masterful talent scout. Between 1923-1939, quite an all-star cast of top young black jazz musicians passed through his orchestra, including trumpeters Louis Armstrong, Joe Smith, Tommy Ladnier, Rex Stewart, Bobby Stark, Cootie Williams, Red Allen, and Roy Eldridge; trombonists Charlie Green, Benny Morton, Jimmy Harrison, Sandy Williams, J.C. Higginbottham, and Dickie Wells; clarinetist Buster Bailey; tenors Coleman Hawkins (1924-1934), Ben Webster, Lester Young (whose brief stint was not recorded), and Chu Berry; altoists Benny Carter, Russell Procope, and Hilton Jefferson; bassists John Kirby and Israel Crosby; drummers Kaiser Marshall, Walter Johnson, and Sid Catlett; guest pianist Fats Waller; and such arrangers as Don Redman, Benny Carter, Edgar Sampson, and Fletcher's younger brother Horace Henderson. And yet, at the height of the swing era, Henderson's band was little-known.
Fletcher Henderson had a degree in chemistry and mathematics, but when he came to New York in 1920 with hopes of becoming a chemist, the only job he could find (due to the racism of the times) was as a song demonstrator with the Pace-Handy music company. Harry Pace soon founded the Black Swan label, and Henderson, a versatile but fairly basic pianist, became an important contributor behind the scenes, organizing bands and backing blues vocalists. Although he started recording as a leader in 1921, it was not until January 1924 that he put together his first permanent big band. Using Don Redman's innovative arrangements, he was soon at the top of his field. His early recordings (Henderson made many records during 1923-1924) tend to be both futuristic and awkward, with strong musicianship but staccato phrasing. However, after Louis Armstrong joined up in late 1924 and Don Redman started contributing more swinging arrangements, the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra had no close competitors artistically until the rise of Duke Ellington in 1927. By then, Henderson's band (after a period at the Club Alabam) was playing regularly at the Roseland Ballroom but, due to the bandleader being a very indifferent businessman, the all-star outfit recorded relatively little during its peak (1927-1930).
With the departure of Redman in 1927, and the end of interim periods when Benny Carter and Horace Henderson wrote the bulk of the arrangements, Fletcher himself developed into a top arranger by the early '30s. However, the Depression took its toll on the band, and the increased competition from other orchestras (along with some bad business decisions and the loss of Coleman Hawkins) resulted in Henderson breaking up the big band in early 1935. Starting in 1934, he began contributing versions of his better arrangements to Benny Goodman's new orchestra (including "King Porter Stomp," "Sometimes I'm Happy," and "Down South Camp Meeting"), and ironically Goodman's recordings were huge hits at a time when Fletcher Henderson's name was not known to the general public. In 1936, he put together a new orchestra and immediately had a hit in "Christopher Columbus," but after three years he had to disband again in 1939. Henderson worked as a staff arranger for Goodman and even played in B.G.'s Sextet for a few months (although his skills on the piano never did develop much). He struggled through the 1940s, leading occasional bands (including one in the mid-'40s that utilized some arrangements by the young Sun Ra). In 1950, Henderson had a fine sextet with Lucky Thompson, but later that year collapsed on the street aparently from a stroke. The incapacitation ended his career and led to his death in 1952. Virtually all of Fletcher Henderson's recordings as a leader (and many are quite exciting) are currently available on the Classics label and in more piecemeal fashion domestically.
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Fletcher Henderson Lyrics
After You've Gone Now won't you listen honey, while I say, How could…
Ain't She Sweet Ain't she sweet? See her walking down that street. Yes I…
Alabamy bound I'm Alabamy bound There'll be no heebie-jeebies hangin' 'rou…
All God's Chillun Got Rhythm Chillun', listen here to me This is my philosophy To see m…
Back In Your Back Yard We leave home expecting to find a blue bird, Hoping ev'ry…
Bugle Blues You're bound to fall for the bugle call; You're gonna brag…
Dinah Carolina Gave me Dinah; I'm the proudest one Beneath the…
Do You Or Don't You Love Me How come you do me like you do do do? How…
Down South Camp Meetin Saints and sinners, come one, come all Have a little revival…
Down South Camp Meetin' Saints and sinners, come one, come all Have a little reviva…
Down South Camp Meeting Saints and sinners, come one, come all Have a little revival…
Everybody Loves My Baby Yeah, everybody loves my baby But my baby don't love nobody…
How Come You Do Me How come you do me like you do do do? How…
I'll See You In My Dreams I'll see you in my dreams And then I'll hold you…
I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby I'm walking on air For I left all my blue days…
It's the Talk of the Town We were more than lovers, We were more than sweethearts, It'…
Liza Liza, Liza, skies are gray But if you smile at me,…
Love Me or Leave Me Somebody loves me, I wonder who I wonder who he can…
Mandy Make Up Your Mind Mandy, Mandy Make up your mind Preacher man is handy Mandy, …
My Dream Man I'll see you in my dreams And then I'll hold you…
New King Porter Stomp Creole babies walk along with rhythm in their thighs Rhythm …
Queer Notions We were more than lovers, We were more than sweethearts, I…
Roll On Mississippi Roll On Liza, Liza, skies are gray But if you smile at me,…
Rose Room I want to take you to a little room A little…
Sing Sing Sing Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
St. Louis Blues I hate to see that evening sun go down I hate…
Stardust And now the purple dusk of twilight time Steals across the…
Sugar sugar thats what Ill name you sugar ill come and claim…
Sugar foot stomp Oh, play that thing…
The St Louis Blues I hate to see that evening sun go down I hate…
Tiger Rag Where's that tiger! Where's that tiger! Where's that tiger! …
Underneath the Harlem Moon Yeah.....What is this???? Ol' time someting come back agai…
When You Do What You Do How come you do me like you do do do? How…
Yeah Man Yeah.....What is this???? Ol' time someting come back agai…
You Go To My Head You go to my head And you linger like a haunting…
You Rascal You Now won't you listen honey, while I say, How could…