Willie Henderson

Producer/arranger Willie Henderson's versatile talents can be heard throughout the Brunswick Records catalog as well as a myriad of sides recorded during the '60s-'70s heydays of Chicago soul. Born August 9, 1941, in Pensacola, FL, Henderson's family moved to Chicago when he was a child. Taking up the baritone sax, he began backing <a href="spotify:artist:1h0hOL3bVcYlg4xcSjU7fP">Otis Rush</a> and others while in his twenties. He also studied with another arranging legend, <a href="spotify:artist:24TkuOo0Athg6AGKODnuMT">James Mack</a>. After graduating from Crane Junior College, Henderson began playing around Chicago, backing <a href="spotify:artist:6XItHNeKXecnFpkJHOn5JL">Syl Johnson</a>, Alvin Cash, and <a href="spotify:artist:21XSS3GkVX88nFHdTIpuGa">Harold Burrage</a>. Henderson joined the Chicago branch division of New York-based Brunswick Records in 1968. Working with producer Carl Davis, Henderson arranged, produced, and played on records by <a href="spotify:artist:7BFr36uI1dzJyo6tpa5Ued">the Chi-Lites</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4VnomLtKTm9Ahe1tZfmZju">Jackie Wilson</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:76agLI5oSCFbmZnBqKcBJd">Tyrone Davis</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5cIS9VdHDj2fozLl19Gg2A">Barbara Acklin</a>, and other Brunswick acts. He produced and arranged <a href="spotify:artist:76agLI5oSCFbmZnBqKcBJd">Tyrone Davis</a>' "Can I Change My Mind" and another gold single, "Turn Back the Hands of Time"; the following year, Henderson co-wrote <a href="spotify:artist:6FEEG3SQE1vZX4LZ3ATXms">Johnny Williams</a>' "I Made a Mistake." Three years later, Williams hit with "Slow Motion (Part 1)," a Top Ten R&B single for <a href="spotify:artist:6Qlnvq7TkRSm7Pw4SfDLD7">Gamble & Huff</a>'s Philadelphia International Records.

The pumped-up instrumental "Dance Master" was released on his Now Sound label in 1974. Henderson's other singles are "Funky Chicken (Part 1)," a single credited to Henderson and the Soul Explosions, "Break Your Back" b/w "Same," and "Gangster Boogie Bump" b/w "Let's Merengue." Henderson also produced <a href="spotify:artist:5cIS9VdHDj2fozLl19Gg2A">Barbara Acklin</a>'s only charting, post-Brunswick singles and her LP A Place in the Sun.

In 1974, Henderson left Brunswick to become an independent producer. He began working with Essence, a male vocal group, and with songs written by Jim Peterek of <a href="spotify:artist:1Csjn2SQV7R9szDhhR7Aji">Ides of March</a> and later <a href="spotify:artist:26bcq2nyj5GB7uRr558iQg">Survivor</a>, Henderson got a deal for the group with Epic Records. The band released eight singles, with one 45 ("Sweet Fools") charting at number 91 R&B in the fall of 1975. Henderson continued working throughout the '70s, and during the '80s he released singles on his Now Sound label; by 1999, he had formed the Chicago Music Organization (CMO) in downtown Chicago and continued to produce, arrange, and occasionally perform with a band. ~ Ed Hogan, Rovi