Biography
Born on 22 November 1904 in Cuthbert, Georgia, USA, Horace Henderson died on 29 August 1988 in Denver, Colorado, USA. Formal music studies preceded his direction of a college ensemble that began performing semi-professionally before turning into a full-time endeavor. Variable success prompted periodic withdrawals, during which he served as pianist for other groups and occasionally relinquished leadership duties, benefiting musicians such as Don Redman and Benny Carter. In 1933 he entered the orchestra of his elder brother, Fletcher Henderson, supplying numerous arrangements whose authorship occasionally became confused because of shared surnames. His writing also reached many additional swing-era orchestras on a broad scale. Leadership responsibilities resumed in the late 1930s and again following World War II military service. He later worked as accompanist for Lena Horne. During the 1950s he sustained a large ensemble by securing engagements in theatrical productions and casinos. Though inevitably eclipsed by Fletcher, Horace proved an able arranger who introduced fewer innovations and surpassed his brother at the piano. He maintained a working band, primarily in Colorado, across the 1960s and into the 1970s.