Hensley wrote, or co-wrote, the majority of Uriah Heep's songs during this period, including such hits as "Look at Yourself", "Lady in Black" (on both of which he also sang lead vocals), "Easy Livin'", "Stealin'" and "Free Me".
Biography
Born in London, Hensley moved with his parents, three brothers and sister to Stevenage, Hertfordshire in 1955. He started to learn how to play guitar at the age of 12, from a Bert Weedon manual. His first gig was at The Mentmore Pen Factory, in Stevenage (September 1960). After that, he played with The Blue Notes, Ken And The Cousins and Kit And The Saracens (1962). In 1963, this band evolved into The Jimmy Brown Sound, and they even recorded some now lost songs. At this time, Hensley's first "professional" opportunity almost came about: they were going to back Ben E. King on a British visit, but it never happened.[citation needed]
In Early 1965, Hensley lost his interest in soul music and formed a band called The Gods, with the young guitarist Mick Taylor, well known later for his work with The Rolling Stones. Ken wrote most of the material, sang and played the Hammond B3 organ (mainly because the band already had the talented Mick Taylor on guitar). What he didn't know then, was that he would be such an influential musician playing exactly the organ. The Gods' line-up included, at one time or another, vocalist and guitar/bass player Greg Lake (later of King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer), bass player Paul Newton (who would be later the first Uriah Heep bassist), drummer Lee Kerslake (later also of Heep), bassist John Glascock (later of Jethro Tull), and guitarist Joe Konas. In early 1968 they signed with Columbia Records, and recorded 2 LPs and several singles. After that, Newton left the band to join Spice, an Essex-based band.
The band eventually split but Cliff Bennett, from Rebel Rouser, decided to make a more progressive sound, and called The Gods guys to join him. So, by the name of Toe Fat, they released 2 LPs (only the first one with Ken). During this time, Ken also played on a dubious recording: Head Machine's "Orgasm" (not exactly a band, a project more likely). At this time, Ken played mainly guitar again, as in the beginning of his career.
Paul Newton asked Hensley (Christmas 1969) to join forces in Spice, since they were looking after a keyboards player to make their sound less bluesy and more progressive at the time. In January 1970, Spice changed its name into Uriah Heep. Also on the line-up were guitarist Mick Box and vocalist David Byron. With Uriah Heep, Ken Hensley found a place to develop and show to the world his songwriting and lyrics abilities, keyboards and guitar playing. The major success came, and Heep is now acclaimed as one of UK's most legendary rock bands. The chemistry of the most classic line-up including Hensley, Byron, Box, Kerslake and bassist Gary Thain, plus the management provided by Gerry Bron (Bronze Records), were the launching points of their tremendous capability of making great music. During his time with Heep (1970 - 1980), they recorded 13 studio albums, and one of the most acclaimed live albums of all times: "Uriah Heep Live - January 1973" (not to mention lots of compilations and singles). Hensley also recorded his first 2 solo albums, "Proud Words On A Dusty Shelf" (1973) and "Eager To Please" (1975) during this time. With the departure of Thain (died in 1975) and Byron, other excellent musicians also got into the Heep family: John Wetton (Family, King Crimson, Roxy Music, later of UK and Asia), Trevor Bolder (from Spiders From Mars, later of Wishbone Ash) and John Lawton (Lucifer's Friend), among others. The chemistry though, wasn't the same anymore.
In 1980 Hensley left the band, not happy with the musical directions they were choosing at the time. After trying to put a new band together first in the UK (Shotgun), he later moved to the USA and played a few gigs in North America with the suggestive name of Ken Hensley Band.
In 1982 Hensley joined Blackfoot, a hard rock Florida-based band. With them, he recorded 2 albums and achieved again some success, but he left after Bron told him about Byron's sad death in 1985. He had also released by this time his third solo LP, "Free Spirit" (1980).
Hensley had been since then almost in retirement, in St. Louis, Missouri (USA), making only a few appearances in some musical projects, with W.A.S.P., Cinderella and others. Blackie Lawless (W.A.S.P.) has defined exactly what Hensley means to the rock'n'roll history:
"Ken Hensley wrote the rule book for heavy metal keyboards as far as I'm concerned."
This could be debated as Jon Lord of Deep Purple may have written the rule book for heavy metal keyboards in general. Ken Hensley likely wrote the rule book for heavy metal piano as heard in Paradise/The Spell from Demons and Wizards. The period also gave birth to many other amazing keyboardists/organists, not the least of which were Alan Taff Freeman of Nektar, and John Evan of Jethro Tull.
Surprisingly though, things began to change in the mid 90s after years of silence. In 1994, "From Time To Time", a collection of lost recordings, was released featuring rare songs recorded by Ken between 1971 and 1982, as well as some very good early versions of Heep's classic songs, played by Ken and his roommates at that time, namely guitarist Paul Kossoff and drummer Simon Kirke (both of Free). Other musicians on the songs were bassist Boz Burrell (King Crimson and Bad Company), guitarist Mick Ralphs (Bad Company), drummers Ian Paice (Deep Purple, Whitesnake) and Kenny Jones (The Who), amongst others.
In 1999 Hensley's musical activities began to increase, besides his work with St. Louis Music. He recorded an album, "A Glimpse Of Glory", together with his band Visible Faith. An eclectic collection of ballads and hard rock tunes, this album was hugely acclaimed by fans who were hungry for new material from Ken.
During the fourth Uriah Heep Annual Convention in London, May 2000, plans were made for a one-off concert by the so-called "Hensley/Lawton Band". Ken was joined by former Heep singer John Lawton, their first public collaboration since John's departure from Heep in 1979. With them were Paul Newton (Heep's original bassist), and 2 members of John's band, Reuben Kane on lead guitar and Justin Shefford on drums. They played a sort of old Heep classics and some of Ken's solo songs to an amazed audience, and the concert was recorded for a proper CD release, followed by a tour in Europe culminating with a concert in Hamburg, Germany, featuring a full orchestra and a new rendition of Heep's old classic "Salisbury"!
This is definitely not the end of the story, since Hensley has been quite busy working on his solo career. "Running Blind", his first effort in 21 years, was released worldwide and followed by a world tour with his band called "Free Spirit", that included some incredible musicians: Dave Kilminster (guitar), Andy Pyle (bass) and Pete Riley (drums). Kilminster and Riley later also played in the Keith Emerson Band (Kilminster is part of Roger Waters band nowadays). He now plays regular annual shows at small venues in Scandinavia, such as the "Summer Party" in Fredrikstad, Norway, where he has been playing consecutive gigs every August for nearly six years.
After moving to Spain, Hensley kept his schedule busy and released "The Last Dance" (with new songs), "The Wizard's Diary" (Uriah Heep classics re-recorded in 2004) and "Cold Autumn Sunday" (Ken's solo songs re-recorded in 2005).
Featuring a number of special guests, the rock opera "Blood On The Highway" was recorded at the end of 2006 and released in May 2007. The story portrays the rise and fall of a rock'n'roll star and the eventual restart. The lead vocals role was split between Ken himself, plus Glenn Hughes (ex-Deep Purple, Trapeze, Black Sabbath), Jorn Lande (ex-The Snakes, Masterplan), John Lawton (ex-Lucifer's Friend, Uriah Heep) and Eve Gallagher.
In September 2008, Ken Hensley joined the stage again with John Lawton, Lee Kerslake and Paul Newton, all of Uriah Heep fame plus the addition of ex-Focus guitarist Jan Dumée, for the "Heepvention 2008" fans meeting. Two shows with one acoustic one day and a full set the day after set the standard for Uriah Heep's music through 2 decades.
Hensely continued to write and record a series of new albums, beginning with a collection of songs under the title of Love & Other Mysteries, recorded near his home in Spain and followed in 2011 by Faster, his first studio recording of new songs with his live band, Live Fire. A CD of one of his solo concerts was released by Cherry Red Records in 2013, shortly followed by a live CD recorded with Live Fire during a September/October tour. Trouble, an album of 10 new songs recorded with a revised Live Fire line-up was released, again by Cherry Red, in September the same year.
Free Me
Ken Hensley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Free me
Why won't you free me
Free me from your spell
Come on and free me
Why won't you free me
Come on and free me
Free me from your spell
Why should I worry that you might not love
You're not the only love that I've ever had
Your sweet memory will always comfort me
So why should I be feeling sad
As far as I can tell
You knew so well
I was always at the end of the line
I've loved you as much
As any man can
But not enough to make you mine
So long easy rider
I know I'll miss you for a while
But sooner or later
I know that I'll forget you
And I tell you baby
Free me
Come on and free me
Why won't you free me
Free me from your spell
Oh baby, free me
Why won't you free me
Come on and free me
Free me from your spell
We let a good love die
We let it pass us by
Though you tried to keep me hanging on
But with all this doubt
It'll never work out
So tomorrow I'll be traveling on
And saying so long easy rider
I know I'll miss you for a while
But sooner or later
I know that I'll forget you
Free me
Oh yeah, come on and free me
Why won't you free me
Free me from your spell
Oh yeah, Come on and free me
I'm on my knees, baby
Free me
Why won't you free me
Free me from your spell
Free me
Oh babe, come on and free me
Free me...
Ken Hensley's song Free Me is about a person who wants to be free from the spell and hold of their former love. The song has a steady and catchy beat that punctuates the desperation of the singer to be released from the emotional ties that bind them to their past love. The chorus of the song repeats several times with the person urging their former partner to let them go and release them from their spell.
The verses of the song tell the story of two lovers who have gone their separate ways, and the singer is now trying to move on. The lyrics show that the person is conflicted between the love they had for their former partner and their desire to be free from their spell. The song conveys the message of how strong emotional attachment can impact a person's life and the difficulties they face when trying to move on.
In summary, Ken Hensley's song Free Me highlights the emotional struggles a person goes through after a break-up, even when the love may have died. It speaks of the resilience needed to put the past behind and move forward with a new beginning.
Line by Line Meaning
Free me
The singer wants to be set free from a spell that someone has cast on them.
Free me
The singer is begging to be freed from the spell.
Why won't you free me
The singer is questioning why the person won't free them from the spell.
Free me from your spell
The artist wants to be free from the spell that the other person has cast on them.
Come on and free me
The artist is appealing to the other person to set them free from the spell.
Why should I worry that you might not love
The singer is saying that they are not worried about whether the other person loves them or not.
You're not the only love that I've ever had
The singer is saying that they have had other loves in the past.
Your sweet memory will always comfort me
The artist will always cherish the good memories of the other person.
So why should I be feeling sad
The artist is questioning why they should feel sad if they have good memories of the other person.
As far as I can tell
The artist is expressing their understanding of the situation.
You knew so well
The singer is accusing the other person of knowing that they were not the top priority.
I was always at the end of the line
The artist is saying that they were never the first choice for the other person.
I've loved you as much
The singer is saying that they loved the other person as much as they could.
As any man can
The singer is saying that they loved the other person with all their heart.
But not enough to make you mine
The singer is saying that their love was not strong enough to make the other person theirs.
So long easy rider
The artist is saying goodbye to the other person.
I know I'll miss you for a while
The artist knows that they will miss the other person for some time.
But sooner or later
The singer knows that eventually they will get over the other person.
I know that I'll forget you
The singer is confident that they will forget the other person.
We let a good love die
The artist is acknowledging that their love has ended.
We let it pass us by
The artist is saying that they did not fight hard enough for their love.
Though you tried to keep me hanging on
The artist is saying that the other person tried to hold onto the relationship, but it did not work.
But with all this doubt
The singer is admitting that there were doubts in the relationship.
It'll never work out
The artist is saying that the relationship was never meant to work out.
So tomorrow I'll be traveling on
The singer is saying that they are moving on with their life.
And saying so long easy rider
The singer is saying goodbye to the other person once more.
I'm on my knees, baby
The singer is begging to be freed from the spell.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: KEN HENSLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Humanity First
Free me
Free me
Why don't you free me
Free me from your spell
Come on and free me
Why don't you free me
Come on and free me
Free me from your spell.
Why should I worry that you might not love
you're not
The only love that I've ever had.
Your sweet memory will always comfort me
So why should I be feeling sad
As far as I can tell
You knew so well
I was always at the end of the line
I've loved you as much
As any man can
But not enough to make you mine
So long easy rider
I know I'll miss you for a while
But sooner or later
I know that I'll forget you
And I tell your baby
Free me
Come on and free me
We let a good love die.
We let it pass us by
Through you tried to keep me hanging on
But with all this doubt
It'll never work out
So tomorrow I'll be traveling on
And saying so long easy rider
I know I'll miss you for a while
But sooner or later
I know that I'll forget you
Free me
oh yeah
Come on and free me
Why don't you free me
Free me from your spell
Oh yeah
Come on and free me
Why don't you free me
Free me from your spell
Free me
Oh bab' come on and free me
Free me
Ray Kuipers
Rest in peace Mister John Lawton. What a fantastic singer.
Margot Wiesmayr
🤩💖❤
sansui77
Wow John Lawton. What a voice. It’s like good wine gets better with age. Couldn’t believe he is the guy who originally sang this song. Looks different but amazingly better with age. Heard in an interview he would always take his wife and his two children on tour when he was touring overseas. Never felt it was right to leave them behind. What a faithful man. During the early tours with Heep after each concert night while all other band members were at a bar drinking away John would hire a car and take his wife sight seeing. Didn’t do any of the groupie stuff either. Said that kept him sane and level headed. What a man.
Sorry to hear the passing of Ken Hensley lately. RIP
Mike Davies
Sadly, John passed away recently too.
юрий кавчак
R.I.P. Хенсли, Байрон,Керслэйк, Лоутон, Тэйн, Болдэр, Уэттон...Легенды, одни из лучших.
Dan Noc
I love all three Uriah Heep albums with John Lawton.
Virut Chan
RIP Ken Hensley the great musician and singer 🥲
Like the sound of John Lawton the best singer.
alp
RIP John and Ken, You ve passed in immortality !!!
Ivan Toshev
One of my favorites of all time. And that performance is unique!
I'm so sad right now after knowing that Ken passed away. Rest in peace, Legend!
Victor Rios
Tremenda voz... Genial !!