Who was Michael Henderson? Tributes pour in as influential R&B singer dies aged 71

Famous jazz bassist and R&B singer Michael Henderson passed away on July 19, at the age of 71, at his home in Atlanta, Georgia. The news was revealed on his official Facebook page.

Henderson was hospitalized last month at Georgia's Emory University Hospital for observation. Henderson's cause of death hasn't been revealed, and further details on his funeral are not yet available.

Everything known about Michael Henderson

Born on July 7, 1951, Michael Henderson gained recognition for his work with Miles Davis in the early 1970s. His work on fusion albums such as Jack Johnson, Live-Evil, and Agharta was appreciated. He was also featured on the hit songs of other popular artists.

The Yazoo City, Mississippi native moved to Detroit during the early 1960s and started playing as a session musician. He was one of the first bass guitarists of the fusion era and one of the most influential jazz and soul musicians of the last four decades.

He played and recorded with artists like Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, and the Dramatics, alongside others. Before his work with Davis, Henderson toured with Stevie Wonder after meeting him at the Regal Theater in Chicago while preparing for a gig.

Davis spotted Henderson performing at the Copacabana in New York City in 1970. After working with Davis for seven years, he focused on his solo career and produced several hit songs and albums for Buddah Records until his retirement in 1986.

He delivered his first Top Ten R&B hit for Buddah Records, titled Take Me I'm Yours. He released another hit song, Wide Number, in 1980. He moved to EMI in 1986 and recorded Can't We Fall in Love Again with Phyllis Hyman on her EP and sang with Bobby Womack and Johnnie Taylor.

He was well-known for his ballads but was also a funk player whose riffs and songs have been widely covered. He was popular for his ballad vocalizing on many recordings of Norman Connors like You Are My Starship and Valentine Love.

Netizens pay tribute on Twitter

Henderson became a familiar name in the music industry for his hit singles and albums. Twitter was flooded with tributes when people heard about his death:

Detailed information on his early life, educational background, and personal life is yet to be revealed.

About the author

Anupal is a pop culture writer at Sportskeeda with a degree in Political Science. He developed a keen interest in the lives of celebrities, films, TV shows, and box office collections since an early age. After accumulating significant experience as a content writer across varied fields at companies such as The Indian Wire, DigiStatement, and QuirkyByte Media, he eventually settled on writing about his favorite genre - pop culture.

Anupal believes in conducting in-depth research while writing about any topic and relies on varied sources to ensure he produces holistic articles. He also often glances through content that was published in the 80s and 90s to gain a better understanding of the subject he is covering.

Anupal admires Robert Downey Jr., who played one of his favorite Marvel superheroes, Iron Man. He is inspired by the actor's resilience and the determination in overcoming past struggles to building a successful Hollywood career and admires the way he articulates his thoughts while speaking in interviews.

If Anupal could travel back in time, he would love to experience James Cameron's 2009 film 'Avatar' in a theatre full of fans. When he's not busy working, he binges on the latest OTT titles across languages.

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