Valley Entertainment - 15090
"Bruce Henderson is to New York what Dwight Yoakam is to Los Angeles: a relocated son of the soil who writes about small town hearts and minds with a fresh perspective gained from big-city living."- Rolling Stone
Singer / songwriter / guitarist / author Bruce Henderson was born and raised in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Henderson honed his playing in the fertile music scene of Austin, Texas before relocating to New York City to form Hearts and Minds, a roots-rock band that released one album for A&M Records. After the band's breakup, Henderson formed his band High Plains Drifters, and released his first book before deciding to step out on his own as a recording artist.
His 1997 solo debut, The Wheels Roll, made quite a splash, hitting #11 on the national Gavin Americana chart and receiving high praise from press across the country. His live shows in support of The Wheels Roll, both solo-acoustic and with his band, earned rave reviews as well, as did his appearances on The World Café and the Western Beat Roots Revival radio shows.
"Henderson's Dust-Bowl-on-the-Hudson vignettes include the brisk, folkish 'Feet of Clay,' evocative of distant sources like Merle Travis and the Carter Family; the waltz-time, wide-screen 'Big Moon,' which tenders a playful, romantic proposition; and 'I Can Drive,' one of three tunes that turn on automotive imagery and promise of better times around the bend. Wisely, Henderson refuses to sentimentalize the world he left behind -- "I dream of that place back home / But the place is gone, gone, gone," he sings forthrightly in the fiddle-filled, Texas-swing-style 'City Folk' -- which frees him to face the future. And what a bright future it is indeed."
- Rolling Stone
This "bright future" darkened with Henderson's Fall 1998 diagnosis of testicular cancer. Supporting the album took a back seat to chemotherapy and surgery, and his media presence dwindled. Henderson's fans and fellow musicians never forgot him, however, and a January '99 benefit concert for his medical bills featured Ian Hunter, Marshall Crenshaw, Jewels Shear, Freedy Johnston and many others, including guitarists G.E. Smith and Andy York, both of whom perform on The Wheels Roll.
Now in Remission, with an outstanding new album (Beyond The Pale, Valley Entertainment 15091), Henderson is ready to reclaim his place at the forefront of contemporary roots music. Valley Entertainment is proud to bring this remarkable debut album back into circulation.
|
| |
|
1. Feet if Clay 2. House of Love 3. Big Moon 4. White Lines/Blacktop 5. There's A Hole |
6. I Can Drive 7. The Wheels Roll 8. Swimming Through the Ashes 9. Texas or New Mexico 10. City Folk |
|