Ken Hensley. All bands musician

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

March 30, 2018 Ken Hensley's new CD was released. The compilation album Rare & Tmeless ("Rare and Immortal") was released by Bmg Records. The musician says about this new record: "It features 15 songs that have been written throughout my career, from the 70s to the present day. It includes previously unknown versions of popular compositions, remixes and two brand new tracks. In the booklet you can find photos of manuscripts with lyrics, as well as rare photos from my personal collection".

Ken Hensley says he appreciates the record company for allowing him to hand-pick the songs on this compilation that he thinks will best help trace his career from the beginning to the present day. This disc gives you the opportunity to re-listen to the already familiar works of an outstanding musician and composer. This article is about Ken's creative path and discographyHensley will be of interest to both his longtime fans and those who are just starting to get acquainted with his songs.

Childhood

Kenneth William David Hensley was born on August 24, 1945 in London. At the age of 12, he began to persuade his parents to buy him a guitar. Mom and dad could not resist the perseverance of the young music lover for a long time, and the boy received the desired instrument.

He learned to play from the then popular book by Bert Weedon. At the age of 15 he gave his first solo concert. After that, the young musician participated in many amateur bands. In 1963, his group The Jimmy Brown Sound recorded several songs that are considered lost. The guys rehearsed hard, dreaming of playing with Ben E. King during his British tour.

The Gods

In early 1965, Ken Hensley formed a band called The Gods with young guitarist Mick Taylor, who later played with John Mayall and the Rolling Stones. The hero of this article wrote most of the songs performed by this ensemble. He participated in the group as a vocalist. Each member of this team had to play an instrument.

Because the guitarist's position was already taken by Mick Taylor, Ken Hensley had to master the Hammond organ. The composition of the group The Gods at different times included such musicians as Greg Lake (later famous in King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer), John Glescock (who later played in Jethro Tull), as well as members of the future "Yurai hip": drummer LeeKirslake and bassist Paul Newton. In early 1968, they signed with Columbia Records and released 2 albums and several singles on this studio.

Ken Hensley albums

The third disc of the group (now called Head Machine) - Orgasm. During its recording, Ken Hensley again played predominantly guitar. The music of this album is usually considered as a prototype of the heaviest compositions of "Yurai Hip".

After the release of this disc, the team broke up. At the same time, the English group Rebel Rousers also ceased to exist. Her vocalist Cliff Bennett decided to create a new band and invited several members of The Gods, including Ken Hensley, to join it.

The group was named Toe Fat. She recorded 2 albums, but only Hensley's hero played on the first of them.

Creating "Yurai Hip"

Participating in the above teams, Ken Hensley gained fame as a keyboardist whose playing style is perfect for progressive rock. Wanting to make their music more intellectual, the members of the Spice group invited Ken to join their team. Soon its name was changed to "Yurai Hip". Ken Hensley is considered a member of this team's classic roster.

With her, he recorded 13 studio and one live album. In parallel with his work in the group, he managed to create two solo discs: Proud Words on a Dusty Shelf and Eager to Please. In 1980, Ken Hensley left Uray Hip due to disagreements with the producers.

Life after Uriah Heep

Immediately after leaving the band, Ken Hensley recorded his third solo album, Free Spirit. Two years later, in 1982, he joined the Blackfoot band from Florida. With her, he recorded two studio discs.

In 1985, Hensley settled in the city of St. Louis (Missouri). Leading a secluded life, he still sometimes took part in the recordings and concerts of such bands as W. A. S. P., Cinderella and others. The vocalist of the first of these bands once said: "I think that Ken Hensley is a model for all heavy metal keyboardists."

In 1999, together with his band Visible Faith, the musician recorded the CD A Glimpse of Glory.

In 2004 he moved to Spain and there he continues to regularly release albums with new material, as well as records with unreleased compositions of past years and modern re-hashings of his hits. In 2005, his CD called Cold Autumn Sky was released. Ken Hensley's song "Romance", beloved by many of his fans, can be heard on this disc. In 2007, the musician recorded his own rock opera Blood on the Highway.

In addition to Ken Hensley himself, vocals on this album were performed by Glenn Hughes, John Lawton and other singers

The last disc with new songs of the hero of this article was recorded with the band Live Fire and was released in 2013. It is called Trouble.

In an interview, Ken Hensley said that he plans to start working on a new album in2019.