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.
Romance
Ken Hensley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I am faced with the steps that I must take
And I know, we can't be together
No, not today, tomorrow or forever
As in a dream I turn for a moment
I feel the joy, all that our love meant
It hurts to know that we can't be together
I can only dream now of New York and Paris
And of the days in my grand Moscow palace
I won't forget, I will always remember
Though you are gone, not just for now but forever
We will never forget, hallelujah, hallelujah
We will never forget, hallelujah, hallelujah
We'll say goodbye my love, our hearts sadly yearning
Can it be true, you won't be returning?
The way is set, we cannot be together
No, not today, tomorrow or forever
And I will look for you in every lonely place
In every moment's sleep I will see your face
But as I reach out and try to touch your hand
You're not there, oh, God, how can I understand?
And so farewell to a love so forsaken
A sad hello to the steps fate has taken
The cards are down, we cannot be together
But I will treasure your memory forever
The book is closed now, we cannot be together
But in our hearts we'll have each other forever
We'll live apart with love together forever
We'll live apart but love together forever
The song "Romance" by Ken Hensley tells a story of unrequited love and acceptance of the inevitable fate of separation. The lyrics describe the singer's emotions and thoughts as they must face the reality that they and their love interest cannot be together. In the early morning, the singer contemplates the steps they must take and realizes that despite their desire and dream of being with their love interest, it cannot happen. The singer reminisces on the beautiful moments of their past love and the pain knowing that it is over.
The lyrics mention dreams of travel and grandeur, highlighting the singer's aspirations and desires that are left unfulfilled. In the following verse, the singer comes to terms with the fact that their love cannot be, that their love interest will not be returning; they know that they will always carry the memory of this lost love within themselves. The lyrics go on to say farewell to the love that was not meant to be and that the two will have each other in their hearts - apart but still together.
Overall, the song conveys a sense of longing and melancholia, with a message of acceptance and perseverance in the face of unrequited love.
Line by Line Meaning
In the early morning just at daybreak
At the start of a new day, I am faced with the reality that we cannot be together
I am faced with the steps that I must take
I must accept that we are not meant to be together and move forward with my life
And I know, we can't be together
I understand that the love we shared cannot be rekindled, no matter how much I want it to
No, not today, tomorrow or forever
Our love cannot be reignited now or ever
As in a dream I turn for a moment
Sometimes, I find myself reminiscing about our love, as though it were a dream
I feel the joy, all that our love meant
Thinking about our past love brings me happiness, but also sadness that we can't be together again
It hurts to know that we can't be together
The reality that we can't be together is emotionally painful
I can only dream now of New York and Paris
My mind wanders to places where we dreamed of traveling together, but it can only ever be a dream now
And of the days in my grand Moscow palace
I imagine a past where we lived grandly in a beautiful palace in Moscow
I won't forget, I will always remember
Although you are gone, you will always be remembered by me
Though you are gone, not just for now but forever
Your absence is permanent, and we will never be together again
We will never forget, hallelujah, hallelujah
We will always remember our love, even though it can never be rekindled
We'll say goodbye my love, our hearts sadly yearning
We must say goodbye, even though our hearts long for each other
Can it be true, you won't be returning?
I can't believe that you're gone forever, and I won't see you again
The way is set, we cannot be together
Our fate is sealed, and we cannot be together
And I will look for you in every lonely place
I will always yearn for you, and will see you in my mind's eye when I feel alone
In every moment's sleep I will see your face
Your memory will haunt me, and I'll dream of you every night
But as I reach out and try to touch your hand
When I try to reach for you, I'm reminded that you're gone
You're not there, oh, God, how can I understand?
Your absence is painful, and I can't come to terms with it
And so farewell to a love so forsaken
Our love is over, and we must say goodbye
A sad hello to the steps fate has taken
We must accept our fate and move on, even though it's with a heavy heart
The cards are down, we cannot be together
Our destiny is sealed, and our love cannot be rekindled
But I will treasure your memory forever
Even though we can't be together, your memory will always be cherished by me
The book is closed now, we cannot be together
Our story is over, and we cannot be together again
But in our hearts we'll have each other forever
Our love will always remain in our hearts, even though we can't be together
We'll live apart with love together forever
Even though we are apart, our love will always unite us
Lyrics © SMV Schacht Musikverlage GmbH & Co. KG, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: KEN HENSLEY, KENNETH WILLIAM DAVID HENSLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Валерий Корп
Человек сделавший больше всех грёбанных политиков...для понимания между народами....царствие тебе небесное...человечище...
Letyuchiy
Вечная память тебе, Кен... Уже никогда нам не услышать тебя вживую, и окружающий мир (не только музыкальный) потерял ещё один яркий лучик света, став немного темней и прохладней... Мы с грустью будем вспоминать тебя, слушая твои песни и твою музыку. Память о тебе будет передаваться нашим младшим поколениям...Там, куда ты ушёл, ты обязательно встретишься со своими друзьями-музыкантами, создавашими когда-то неповторимую музыку Uriah Heep. Покойся с миром, великий индеец-клавишник. Ты навсегда в наших сердцах...(((((((((
Mark Fisher
ДАВАЙТЕ ВСЕ ВМЕСТЕ ПОМОЛИМСЯ...... ЗА ЛЮДЕЙ КОТОРЫЕ УСПЕЛИ ПОДАРИТЬ НАМ ЭТОТ БЕЗ КОНЕЧНЫЙ РАЙ ВОЛШЕБНОЙ МУЗЫКИ.............
Людмила Успенская
Бог решил, что ты, Кен Хенсли, отлично потрудился и забрал тебя отдохнуть. Ты щедро делился своим Даром. Низкий тебе поклон, Благодарность и Светлая Память! Твоё творчество остаётся с нами. И мурашки, и светлые слёзы, и сердце пропускает удар.
Георгий Жлобинский
А что, Путин разве плохо потрудился?
Minna Hietanen
Ken is the Best. We hope. The Master live forever
Irina Borozniak
@Георгий Жлобинский Совсем крыша съехала,причем тут Путин к Кену Хенсли???
Svetlana Bitsurina
@Георгий Жлобинский Кен Хенсли 💖, это святое,не путайте с нечестью!!!
Stoqnka Nikolova
Далбок поклон, почивай в мир. Никога няма да те зъбравим. Какъв талант-велик композитор, музикант, певец. Благодаря маестро, Благодаря....!!!
Nik Rad
Вечная память великому музыканту, до самого конца сохранившим свой великолепный голос. Этот голос
будет звучать в наших сердцах вечно.