Ken Hensley (born Kenneth William David Hensley in Plumstead, south-east Lo… Read Full Bio ↴Ken Hensley (born Kenneth William David Hensley in Plumstead, south-east London on 24 August 1945; died 4 November 2020) was an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist (especially Hammond organ and guitar) and producer best known for his work with Uriah Heep during the 1970s.

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.

When
Ken Hensley Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When will you rise, when will you rise again
When will you rise and show me the way
I need you now in my uncertainty
I need your strength to face the new day

Swept off my feet by life's sweet mystery
Sometimes it's hard just getting along
I know you're there. Why won't you come to me?

You know I'm lost without a song

Dance with me, sweet inspiration
Seems to me only you know how
Dance with me, oh, dance with me
Share my fantasy just for now

Dance with me, sweet inspiration
Seems to me only you know how
Dance with me, oh, dance with me
Share my fantasy just for now

Inspiration's gonna rise again
Gonna take me by surprise again

You'll see the light in my eyes again
Inspiration's gonna rise again...

Overall Meaning

In the opening lines of "When," Ken Hensley seems to be calling out for someone who can guide him through his current struggles. He speaks directly to this presence, asking when it will reveal itself again and show him the way. This could be interpreted as a spiritual or metaphorical plea for guidance through life's challenges. Hensley then acknowledges that life can be overwhelming, and he needs this presence to help him find the strength to face each new day. He recognizes that he is lost without it, and he needs its guidance to find his way again.

The chorus of the song is a plea for inspiration to dance with him, to share his fantasy for a moment. Hensley sees this as a temporary escape from his troubles, a beautiful moment of freedom from the weight of the world. The repetition of the lines "seems to me only you know how" suggests that this dance is something special and sacred, something that only this presence can provide. It's a beautiful image of finding refuge in moments of inspiration and creativity.

In the final lines of the song, Hensley proclaims that inspiration is going to rise again, and he will be ready for it. He will be surprised by its power, and it will light up his eyes once more. This is a hopeful message that whatever struggles we face, inspiration will always find a way to return, leading us towards new horizons and illuminating the beauty of life.

Line by Line Meaning

When will you rise, when will you rise again
Asking when the inspiration will come back that used to give direction and hope.

When will you rise and show me the way
Asking when the inspiration will reveal the path that should be taken in life.

I need you now in my uncertainty
Desperately needing the inspiration in times of confusion and unclear decisions.

I need your strength to face the new day
Requiring the motivation and encouragement to overcome hardships in life.

Swept off my feet by life's sweet mystery
Feeling overwhelmed with life's adventures and mysteries.

Sometimes it's hard just getting along
Acknowledging how life can be difficult and challenging at times.

I know you're there. Why won't you come to me?
Realizing the inspiration is present yet still questioning why it's not being received.

You know I'm lost without a song
Expressing how without inspiration or motivation, life can seem directionless and empty.

Dance with me, sweet inspiration
Metaphorically requesting the inspiration to work together in harmony.

Seems to me only you know how
Believing that only the inspiration can make life more meaningful and productive.

Share my fantasy just for now
Aspiring to dreams and desires and wanting the inspiration to participate in these aspirations temporarily.

Inspiration's gonna rise again
Feeling optimistic that motivation and inspiration will come back and invigorate life.

Gonna take me by surprise again
Expecting inspiration to arrive unexpectedly and positively impact life.

You'll see the light in my eyes again
Anticipating that inspiration will bring back hope and confidence.

Inspiration's gonna rise again...
Ending the song on a hopeful note, believing that inspiration will return and bring purpose and meaning back into life.

Contributed by Annabelle P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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