Belford Hendricks
Belford Hendricks | |
---|---|
Also known as |
|
Born | country and western, soul | May 11, 1909
Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, producer |
Instrument(s) | Piano |
Years active | 1930s–1960s |
Labels | Mercury, Columbia |
Spouse(s) |
Mae Etta Bean (divorced) |
Belford Cabell "Sinky" Hendricks (May 11, 1909 – September 24, 1977) was an American
Hendricks is primarily remembered as the co-composer of numerous soft-
Early life and education
Hendricks was born in
In 1924, Hendricks graduated from the town's then-segregated Douglass High School, later rebuilt and renamed Lincoln High School. After a few years working at local establishments, he enrolled at the Indiana State Teachers' College, now known as
Marriage and army service
Hendricks married Mae Etta Bean of North Vernon, Indiana, a classmate studying to become an elementary school teacher. After spending a year in Maryland, Bean returned to Indiana. They divorced in the 1940s. Bean died in the early 1960s.
In 1938 or 1939, Duke Ellington and his orchestra recorded, "I'll Come Back for More", which appears to be the first recorded song co-written by Hendricks.[1] It was written with Ellington, Brick Fleagle, Oramay Riamond, Rex Stewart, and Bee Walker.
In 1942, Hendricks was drafted into the United States Army, serving in a medical unit. He was stationed in New York, Arizona and Hawaii. Hendricks contributed a song, "Marching Through Berlin" that was sung by Ethel Merman in the 1943 wartime movie, Stage Door Canteen.[2] Jet magazine of the 1980s shows him accompanying popular songstress Lena Horne.[3]
After the war, Hendricks returned to Indiana to care for his aging parents. During this period, he co-hosted Toast and Coffee, one of the first interracial radio programs in the US, though most listeners were unaware he was black.[4]
During this period, he became acquainted with Emma Clinton, a native of Texas, who worked for
New York years
Although he was middle-aged, Hendricks decided to move to New York to pursue a full-time musical career. He continued his musical education, studying composition and organ at
By the mid-1950s, he met
Washington and Benton
Soon after arriving in New York, Hendricks met
Even more successful were the light-hearted duets which Hendricks arranged for Washington and Brook Benton in 1960. "Baby (You've Got What It Takes)" made number 1 in the United States R&B chart and number 5 in the pop charts, earning over $1 million, whilst "A Rockin' Good Way (to Mess Around and Fall in Love)" also made number 1 in the R&B chart and number 7 in the pop chart.
Hendricks co-wrote numerous songs with Benton, often together with Otis. The Hendricks-Otis-Benton composition "
Still at Mercury, with Sarah Vaughan
As Hendricks' stature as an arranger grew,
Columbia years
By 1960, Hendricks and Otis had been recruited by Columbia Records. Hendricks and Otis also took an unsuccessful crack at making Aretha Franklin a star. The team recorded dozens of tracks, including "Can't You Just See Me." By 1966, Columbia had lost about $90,000 on Franklin's recordings. However, decades after her hard-won success, those recordings were released.
With other artists
Among other stars with whom Hendricks worked were big band leaders Jimmie Lunceford and Sy Oliver, Ivory Joe Hunter, Carmen McRae and Timi Yuro. Hendricks arranged songs for Aretha Franklin during her frustrating early career with Columbia, songs such as "A Mother's Love", "Runnin' Out of Fools" and "Can't You Just See Me".
When Al Martino, whose sub-operatic singing style had gone out of fashion in the early 1960s, wanted to develop a more understated vocal technique, Nat King Cole recommended that he contact Hendricks for help. Martino duly got his desired new sound and, to go with it, his biggest hit for years: a Hendricks-arranged reworking of the country song "I Love You Because", which got to number 3 on the Billboard pop chart in 1963. A full album followed, with Hendricks at the helm.
Hendricks composed over a hundred songs, more than half of them co-written, using either a variant of his real name or his complete pseudonym, Bill Henry. As well as the compositions for other stars mentioned above, these included "Call Me", a US number 21 for Johnny Mathis in 1958 (not to be confused with the later Tony Hatch–composed song of the same name), "First Star I See Tonight" for Patti Page, "I'm Too Far Gone (to Turn Around)" for Bobby Bland and "The Mixed Up Cup" for Clyde McPhatter. According to author David Leander Williams, "The name Belford Hendricks must go down in history as the greatest arranger of rhythm-and-blues hits of all times".[9]
References
- ^ "Jet - Google Books". Books.google.com. 1980-08-21. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
- ^ "STAGE DOOR CANTEEN". Library of Congress. 1923-09-25. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
- ^ a b Yanow, Scott. "The Complete Dinah Washington on Mercury, Vol. 6 (1958-1960) - Dinah Washington | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
- ^ Coures, Kelley (2007-05-30). "City's success built on achievement ... by all races". Evansville Courier & Press. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
- ^ "Mercury Records Discography: 1959". Jazzdisco.org. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
- ^ "Mercury Records Discography: 1960". Jazz Disco. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
- ^ "Mercury Records Discography: 1961". Jazz Disco. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
- ^ Yanow, Scott. "The Complete Dinah Washington on Mercury, Vol. 7 (1961) - Dinah Washington | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
- ^ David Leander Williams (2019), Indianapolis Rhythm and Blues.