DORRIS
HENDERSON
OBITUARY
US-born
singer/songwriter Dorris Henderson has died in her adopted home of London,
England. Peter Muir looks back on her life and career…
Over the years there have been many female singers, but few really
distinctive ones. The voices that are immediately recognisable have a
style and intonation totally unique to themselves and nobody else. Billie
Holiday, Nina Simone, Randy Crawford, Odetta, Aretha Franklin, Miriam
Makeba and Mahalia Jackson spring to mind.
Dorris Henderson - who died March 3rd 2005 in London, England - had this
same distinctive voice quality.
Whether singing a traditional folk song, a blues, or a self-penned
composition, it was definitely Dorris; there was no mistaking that unique
vocal sound.
She was born in Lakeland, Florida, USA. Her paternal grandmother was pure
Blackfoot Indian and her father, a Reverend, who established three
churches when the family moved across country to Los Angeles.
On leaving school, Dorris joined the civil service. One evening, she went
to The Ashgrove to hear Odetta sing - a single event that was to change
her career and the direction of her life.
Dorris bought an autoharp and set about teaching herself numerous songs
from what she calls her bible – Alan Lomax's "The Folk Songs of
North America". Whilst still holding down the civil service job, she
started to visit the many jazz clubs that lit up Sunset Boulevard and to
sing some jazz standards on the open nights.
It was at this time, she heard such jazz greats as Oscar Peterson, Gerry
Mulligan, Nat King Cole, Carmen McCray, and many others.
With some experience on the autoharp, Dorris turned her attentions towards
the folk music scene; she started performing at The Ashgrove, The
Troubadour and San Francisco’s "The Hungry i."
She started to meet and make friends with such established artists as
Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, Wee Willie Dixon and Memphis Slim.
It was at The Ashgrove that Dorris met Bob and Zoe DeWhitt a couple who
ran a restaurant and music venue in Topanga Canyon, some describe it as
more a ‘health food cafe.’ It was a well-known hangout for the
alternative musicians, painters, poet’s, potters and eccentrics. Not
surprisingly, this was one of Lord Buckley’s favourite spots for holding
court.
Buckley quickly recognised Dorris's talents and asked her to join him in a
three-day concert at the Los Angeles Ivar Theatre.
The place was packed out and one of the live performances was recorded for
posterity by World Pacific Records. It was during this recording that Lord
Buckley dubbed her "The Lady Dorris".
At this time, Los Angeles ran a city wide music contest for civil
servants. Dorris entered singing "Five Hundred Miles From My
Home" accompanying herself on autoharp and won.
Winning this helped Dorris to make up her mind as to what direction she
should take in life and she quit the civil service, walking away from her
newly promoted senior position and into a full time into a musical career
Things changed rapidly. One of her girlfriends had just been presented
with a brand new MG sports car as a birthday present. The pair of them
decided to drive across the country to visit friends and relatives in New
York.
At the end of the three day journey, they arrived in Greenwich Village and
Dorris embarked on a six week round of visiting and performing in every
folk club she could find. Settled in this environment Dorris soon made
friends with Bob Dylan (cameo appearance in Bob Dylan’s "Don’t
Look Back" movie), Fred Neil, Mark Spoelstra, Dave Van Ronk, Paul
Simon (released single of Paul Simon’s "Leaves That Are
Green") and virtually everyone on the scene at that time.
On her return to L.A. Dorris got talking with one of her brothers who had
been stationed in England when he was with the U.S.A.F. He’d enjoyed his
stay and Dorris decided to save up her money and seek her fortune in
England. She sailed from New York and arrived in Southampton without
knowing a soul. Fortunately she met a fellow passenger on the boat who
invited her to stay with her in Tottenham, London whilst finding a place
of her own.
This was 1965 and in those days ‘Blacks, Irish, dogs and children’
were not welcome in the capital’s boarding houses. So much for
"swinging" London. After nearly a week of refusals, Dorris
finally found a student’s hostel in Belsize Park and met a fellow
American over breakfast.
In conversation, Dorris remarked that she was a folksinger and he in turn
produced a copy of the Melody Maker, the major music paper of the day,
with interviews, the charts and details of all of the London pop, jazz and
folk venues.
Dorris found her way to "The Troubadour" in Earls Court, which
was presided over by Redd Sullivan and Martin Winsor; the good lady did a
guest spot with her faithful autoharp and went down a storm.
At that time, folk music was very much divided into the traditional
British camp and people who had been listening to black American blues
records and then trying to imitate them or put their own interpretations
on what they had witnessed.
In the middle of all this was a young, black, American lady called Dorris
Henderson singing Appalachian ballads to her own accompaniment live in the
clubs of London.
Redd and Martin introduced Dorris to Curly Goss, who was running his own
clubs, The Student Prince, The Roundhouse on the corner of Wardour Street
and Brewer St and Les Cousins at 49 Greek St. London’s Soho was the main
centre of jazz, skiffle and folk music.
Dorris did a spot at The Student Prince, Curly had invited down a BBC 2
Television producer, who was in charge of a new music show "Gadzooks,
It’s All Happening".
The producer was highly impressed. Dorris did the first show and was asked
if she would like to be the resident artiste. She signed a six month
contract, performing her own choice of material and free range in the
wardrobe department.
The weekly guests were among the top pop stars of the day. Tom Jones,
Lulu, Sandie Shaw, Georgie Fame and The Everly Brothers.
This period of reasonable financial security enabled Dorris to fly back to
California every so often, to keep in contact with her family.
On one occasion, still dressed in cut down jeans and red top, straight out
of a taxi from London Airport, she arrived at rehearsals to be told by the
producer – "Don’t change a thing! Keep that outfit on!"
They built a haystack on set and Dorris sat on top of it singing
"Wake Up Darling Corrie" surrounded by the resident dancers
doing a hoe-down. In between the Gadzooks appearances, Dorris was still
doing the London folk scene. It was at The Roundhouse in Wardour Street
that Dorris met John Renbourn and they began to work together, producing
one of the most distinctive and accomplished sounds yet heard.
Dorris invited John Renbourn onto the TV show and they also cut their
first album, "There You Go" for EMI
Also at The Roundhouse, Dorris met Cobi Schreijer, pioneer Dutch folk
singer (later awarded Queen Juliana’s medal for cultural services to the
Netherlands); Cobi invited Dorris to perform in Harlem.
Dorris was an immediate success and Tom Tolen, a film producer, asked her
if she would write and perform the title song from his documentary film on
the rebuilding of Rotterdam. "Rotterdam Blues" was on jukeboxes
throughout Holland.
It was at Cobi's club that she also met Peter and Vicky Blanker. He was a
well-known Dutch folk artist and she was a photographer. Peter had
arranged a tour of thirteen countries, sponsored by Daf Cars and Dorris
joined the band of minstrels to Turkey, Germany, Belgium, Czechoslovakia,
Yugoslavia and Greece.
It was in Athens that Dorris received a telegram asking her to return
immediately to Holland. The film had won the Golden Bear Award and Dorris
had a special thank you present.
Back in England, Dorris continued to tour the country with John Renbourn
and they cut their second album – "Watch The Stars" for
Fontana along with Danny Thompson on Bass.
Dorris appeared at a couple of the early Cambridge folk festivals and then
was approached by Trevor Lucas of the group Eclection. Their vocalist,
Kerry Lee, had decided to return to Australia, Trevor asked Dorris join
the band and replace Kerry as Lead Vocalist?
In spite of Eclection and Dorris doing numerous gigs at Universities,
Colleges, venues up and down the country, a tour with The Beach Boys and
the Isle of Wight festival, not much appeared on the recording front. So
Dorris signed up with Warner Brothers and Eclection split.
Strangely, Warner's never released any of the singles Dorris recorded for
them, including Ralph McTell`s "Streets Of London" - before
Ralph recorded it for himself and had his massive hit.
Dorris started to work with Eric Johns on guitar; Renbourn had joined
Pentangle and was no longer available for gigs, so Dorris and Eric went
out on the road, including a couple of trips to Holland.
Having enjoyed the flexibility and potential of working with a band,
Dorris accepted the opportunity take over from Kerrilee Male as vocalist
for Trevor Lucas’s band Eclection (later Eclection 2), with Eric on
guitar, Dave Liddle on bass, Mick Smiles on drums and Vispi Mistri on
congas.
Later, Tim Penn joined on keyboards and at various times Ollie
Blanchflower and Tony Cousins took over the bass role. The band continued
to play the University, College and club venues.
Some of the guys were based in Hounslow and they introduced Dorris to a
Sunday lunchtime venue where Mac McGann and John Joyce, two ex-members of
Beverly Martyn's group "The Levee Breakers" ran a session.
Dorris and Mac got on well and he managed to get Dorris some TV
advertising jingle work in between the band gigs.
Eclection 2 finally broke up. Eric went on to join the highly successful
band "Heatwave" of "Boogie Nights" fame, Tim joined
Kevin Coyne and Dave Liddle became Paul Weller`s guitar technician.
There now began a period where Dorris got back to jazz, first with Bob
Kerr`s Jazz Friends and later with John Rodgers` House Band. They were all
good readers and arrangers as well as improvisers.
As disco and karaoke had replaced live music in many British venues, the
bands worked mainly in Germany and Switzerland. Dorris was vocalist with
an all star band at the Duke Ellington Memorial Concert at the Queen
Elizabeth Hall and at one point, at short notice, took over leading Johnny
Mars` Sunflower Boogie Band on a German tour when Johnny was taken ill.
Dorris joined her old friend Memphis Slim for a few numbers at the Half
Moon in Putney, London at this time and brought the house down. This was
to be one of Memphis Slim's last public appearances before he died.
With the 1999 re-issue of "There You Go" on Ace, a whole new
audience got to hear Dorris again. When Market Square Records released
"Here I Go Again" in 2003, fans were amazed at the vitality and
virtuosity of the voice.
The new release saw Dorris back together with Eric, Mick and Tim from
Eclection; Mick`s daughter Sophie Smiles on Electric Bass; Mike Peters
from her jazz days on trumpet, ex- Marvelette Audrienne on backing vocals;
husband Mac McGann on guitar and harmonica and of course John Renbourn who
joined Dorris on a couple of tracks.
Dorris cited the new album as a musical autobiography. It Is a charming
album of traditional folk, blues, poetry, and self-penned numbers,
performed and delivered by a unique voice, sadly now stilled.
Accredited Press & Radio
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