Haywood Henry

Frank Haywood Henry (January 10, 1913 – September 15, 1994) was an American jazz baritone saxophonist. He was a 1978 inductee of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame.

Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Henry began on clarinet before choosing baritone as his primary instrument. He continued to play clarinet on occasion throughout his career. He was a member of the Bama State Collegians in 1930, then returned to play with them again from 1934, including under Erskine Hawkins. He played with Hawkins into the 1950s.

Following his time with Hawkins, Henry worked with Tiny Grimes, Julian Dash (1951), and the Fletcher Henderson Reunion Band (1957-58), and occasionally stood in for Harry Carney in the Duke Ellington Orchestra. He also played on over 1,000 rock and roll records in the 1950s and 1960s, many of them anonymously and often alongside Mickey Baker. In the 1960s he played with Wilbur DeParis, Max Kaminsky, Snub Mosley, Louis Metcalf, Earl Hines (1969-71), Sy Oliver (1972-80), and the New York Jazz Repertory Comany. He also worked in the orchestras of Broadway shows such as "Ain't Misbehavin'" in the 1970s. He participated in an Erskine Hawkins reunion ensemble in 1971, and performed well into the 1980s.

Henry recorded three albums as a leader: one for Davis Records in 1957, one for Strand early in the 1960s, and the last for Uptown in 1983.

References

*Scott Yanow, [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:gnfwxqr5ld0e~T1 Haywood Henry] at Allmusic
* [http://www.jazzhall.com Official website of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame]