Jon Hendricks was born September 16, 1921 in Newark, Ohio, and he grew up in Toledo. After serving in the Army during World War II, Hendricks attended the University of Toledo. But after finances ran out, Hendricks moved to New York and began a singing career. Hendricks is considered to be the "Father of Vocalese" and the greatest innovator of the art form. Vocalese is the art of setting lyrics to recorded jazz instrumental standards.
In 1957, Hendricks teamed with Dave Lambert and Annie Ross to form the legendary vocal trio Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, which was called "The greatest Jazz vocal group ever to perform on the Planet Earth." Yolande Bavan replaced Annie Ross after Ross was forced to leave the group due to poor health in 1962.
Hendricks is credited for creating Manhattan Transfer's most successful album, Vocalese, which went gold in Japan and won seven Grammys, including one for Jon Hendricks as Best Singer. Hendricks returned to the Toledo area in 2000 when he accepted a teaching position at UT.
For his work as a lyricist, jazz critic and historian Leonard Feather called him the "Poet Laureate of Jazz" while Time dubbed him the "James Joyce of Jive." Al Jarreau has called him "pound-for-pound the best jazz singer on the planet—maybe that's ever been".
Young Jon and his fourteen siblings were moved many times, following their father's assignments as an A.M.E. pastor, before settling permanently in Toledo. As a teenager, Jon's first interest was in the drums, but before long he was singing on the radio regularly with another Toledo native, the extraordinary pianist Art Tatum.
Hendricks attended the University of Toledo as a Pre-law major, courtesy of the G.I. Bill. Just when he was about to enter the graduate law program, the G.I. benefits ran out.
Lambert, Hendricks & Ross earned the designation of the "Number One Vocal Group in the World" for five years in a row from Melody Maker magazine.
Pursuing a solo career, Hendricks moved his young family to London, England, in 1968, partially so that his five children could receive a better education. His sold-out club dates drew fans such as the Rolling Stones and the Beatles.
In the 1970's, Hendricks worked as the jazz critic for the San Francisco Chronicle and taught classes at California State University at Sonoma and the University of California at Berkeley.
Hendricks has served on the Kennedy Center Honors committee under Presidents Carter, Reagan, and Clinton.
In 2000, Hendricks returned to his hometown to teach at the University of Toledo, where he was appointed Distinguished Professor of Jazz Studies and received an honorary Doctorate of the Performing Arts.
Hendricks was recently selected to be the first American jazz artist to lecture at the Sorbonne in Paris, a university established in the year 1248. His fifteen voice group, the Jon Hendricks Vocalstra at the University of Toledo, performed to a standing ovation at the Sorbonne.
created
by jr
on Sep 18, 2007 at 11:38:35 am
updated
by jr
on Sep 18, 2007 at 01:05:17 pm
