Michael Henderson

by Ron WynnVocalist/bassist Michael Henderson has enjoyed successful careers as a player and performer. He moved from Yazoo City, Mississippi to Detroit in the early '60s, and was a session player. As a 13-year-old, Henderson played bass with the Fantastic Four, Detroit Emeralds, Billy Preston, and other Motown acts in 1964 and 1965. He later toured with Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin before joining Miles Davis. Henderson played and toured with Davis for seven years. When he met drummer/producer Norman Connors, Henderson pitched him some songs. Connors recorded "Valentine Love" on his Saturday Night Special LP, featuring Henderson with Jean Carne. This was his vocal debut, and it reached nubmer ten on the R&B chart. Henderson wrote two other hits for the LP, "We Both Need Each Other" and "You Are My Starship," which peaked at number four.
Those successes landed Henderson his own Buddah deal in 1976, and in 1978 he got his first Top 10 R&B hit with "Take Me I'm Yours" for Buddah. Henderson recorded for Buddah from 1976 to 1983, earning his biggest hit in 1980 with "Wide Receiver," a number four hit. He moved to EMI in 1986. Henderson also recorded "Can't We Fall in Love Again" with Phyllis Hyman on her own LP, and sang with Bobby Womack and Johnnie Taylor, as well as producing the Dramatics. He also helped discover Cherrelle, who was his next door neighbor in the late '70s. She sang background and toured with him for four years.