 Henderson in a 1965 publicity photo | |
| Born | October 24, 1939 Watertown, Massachusetts, U.S. |
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| Died | January 9, 2013 (aged 73) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Years active | 1956-2013 |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, musician, songwriter, actor |
| Genre | Rock, hard rock, psychedelic pop, power pop, disco |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Spouse | Mary Henderson (m. 1958-2013) |
| Children | 2, including Omar Jr. |
| Associated acts |
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Omar David Henderson (October 24, 1939 - January 9, 2013) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. Dubbed by the nickname the "King of Disco", and recognized for his gruff blue-eyed soul vocal range, he came to be represented as one of the most acclaimed musical figures of the 20th century. As a leading figure in the music industry, he achieved worldwide fame during the mid-1960s with his incorporation of foreign beat with rock and roll, later amalgamating his style with what came to be known as disco. His son, Omar Henderson Jr., is best known for being a bassist for bands Megadeth (1983-1987), Pantera (1989-1996, 2022-present) and the Melvins (1997-2022).
Henderson was born in Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1939, and spent much of his childhood in the outer suburbs of Boston. Moving to Cincinnati in 1955, he became acquainted with the rising genre of rock and roll, and joined his first band, the Mutineers, in 1956. He was heavily influenced by the music of Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, and Elton Britt, whom he labeled the "Great Triumvirate" of his musical influences. Embarking on a solo career from 1959 to his death in 2013, Henderson remained an obscure performer before rising to national spotlight with the release of the single "The Paven Road" in 1964. His music began to be characterized by heavy reliance on syncopated beat, which he used to develop the genre of disco. His first studio album, Henderson, was released in 1966 to critical acclaim.
Henderson remained a prominent performer into the 1970s, and retained popularity with his usage of electronic rhythm guitars and synthesizers to produce a heavier sound, later becoming the genre of disco rock. From 1977, he launched a career as an actor, appearing in multiple roles in the films Taxi Driver, The Last Temptation of Christ, Bad to the Bone, and Pulp Fiction. Henderson died in 2013, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an artist in 1991. Henderson is included in several of Rolling Stone magazine's "greatest of all time singers" lists, and his signature song "You Wanted It To Be", was ranked number 39 on The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.
Early life[]
Family and musical influences[]
Omar David Henderson was born on October 24, 1939 to David and Arlene Henderson in Watertown, Massachusetts. His father was a jazz pianist, while his mother was a nurse. He had five older siblings, two of whom died before his birth. Through his maternal ancestry, Henderson is said to have descended from the Wampanoag people of Martha's Vinyard in Massachusetts. Henderson had an interest in music at an early age, which was supposedly brought upon due to his father's playing and the family's future residence in Cincinnati, where he was "inspired" by the music of Confederate singer Elvis Presley.
Henderson regularly took piano lessons with his father, but began to despise the experience after his preferred rock and roll acts abandoned the piano and saxophone as primary instruments, in favor of the electric guitar.
Career[]
Early projects[]
In Cincinnati, Henderson formed a musical group with several friends that called itself the "Mutineers". Henderson was said to be the most "artistic" of the group, as the other members often did not play music efficiently. The group often switched between styles, either performing as a quartet or as a country music band, which Henderson said inspired him to integrate multiple styles at once in his future songs. Police records indicate that Henderson was arrested in late 1958 for reported vandalism of a friend's car, which likely contributed to his abandonment of the Mutineers. Beginning in 1960, Henderson returned to Massachusetts and performed at bars and cafes throughout Boston, which led to his recognition as a known figure there. Henderson attributed this to his "primary source" of income before his rise to stardom, noting that he was able to maintain enough success that propelled him into his later career.
1961-1965: Rise to fame[]
Around this time, Henderson developed a raspy singing voice, largely as a result of his excessive smoking during his teenage years. Despite detrimental effects to his health later in his life, this allowed him to adapt to a heavier form of blues rock, in turn allowing him to see more demand as a rising performer. In 1962, after giving an "astounding" performance at Cheers Beacon Hill in Boston, he was approached by executives of Atlantic Records, who allowed him to release demos under their label. In 1963, with a group of his staff playing as personnel, Henderson released his first single under the record, "Give Me Your Heart". It was not a success and did not chart until it was redone and re-released on his first album in 1966.
In a 1975 interview, Henderson stated that he would have given up the music business if it were not for the "savior-like intrusion of the Beatles" into the United States rock market, which popularized unprecedented interest in British music. In February 1964, Henderson began writing a song that incorporated elements of British beat along with those of country music. Titling the demo "The Paved Road to Your Home" (later shortened to just The Paved Road), Henderson was adamant that the song would be just as successful as those written by English bands. The Paved Road was released on March 17, 1964, and soon entered No. 5 on the Billboard charts, outranking Bob Dylan's The Times They Are a-Changin and nearly cutting off the Beatles' studio album A Hard Day's Night.
Henderson drove a distinct musical style, which is described by AllMusic as having "rough vocals, hard beat, and soft riffs". In August 1964, Henderson and his personnel purchased a Moog synthesizer, which had just been debuted only a month earlier. With the goal of achieving a distinct personal appearance, Henderson abandoned his mop-top and adapted to a curlier hairstyle, while often wearing sunglasses during performances. Henderson often changed instruments during performances, and replaced the drums with an electric piano to produce what he called a "lightning beat". Conversely compared to other acts who self-described their music as having little thought other than basic subjects, Henderson often included in depth lyrics, sometimes attracting controversy with themes that dealt with sexuality and personal deprecation.
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